Static vs Dynamic

That which is static and repetitive is boring.
That which is dynamic and random is confusing.
In between lies art.

John A. Locke (1632-1704)
British philosopher and medical researcher

從預言看到了地獄

張寶華　 傳媒工作者

再過半個月，就是農曆新年了！越近新年，電視上有關風水算命的節目就越多，連香江第一才子陶傑，也在星期日的玄學節目上亮相，跟大家分析香港各區的風水陣勢。書報攤位各式各樣的命理書成行成市不在話下，最近一個豪宅樓盤廣告，竟然也一口氣請來了八位算命風水師，推銷這個樓盤是處於甚麼天斗北星陣，入住該處的人必定是將相之才，大富大貴之士等等。

距離滅亡又近一步
我們或是為了生活，又或是為了超越他人，我們對未來都很好奇，希望能掌握未來的走勢越多越好。因為人類渴望知道未來，於是風水、預言、算命，便應運而生。風水先生批一個八字，一小時的解說，隨隨便便就收費五、六千元，一個牛津或哈佛大學的畢業生，也未必可以有五、六千元時薪。有關個人或社會的未來，總有悲觀或樂觀的看法，但是普遍來說，人們都是喜歡聽好的，但是有時候，有關未來的壞消息，對我們更有好處。不久前，一班英美科學家在全世界面前，把世界末日鐘（Doomsday Clock）撥快了兩分鐘，警告我們，人類距離滅亡又走近了一步。世界知名的物理科學家霍金告訴我們，全球暖化對人類的威脅，已經遠超過恐怖主義，恐怖分子只是殺死數以萬計的人，但全球變暖可以殺死百萬計人。

大自然發出的警告
由霍金的預言中，你看到了地獄嗎？對風水先生的解說預言，假設他叫你在床前放個魚缸，可以保你財源滾滾來，你深信不疑的話，那麼對這班科學家的預言呢？你會視若無睹還是心生恐懼？筆者知道了世界末日鐘只剩下五分鐘，快走到午夜十時，實在害怕得很。因為在預言中，筆者看到了地獄的深淵。這十多年來看到的氣候變化，實在有太多太多證據證明了這些預言不只是一家之言，它是有根有據的。看！俄羅斯今年的冬天，由過去的負三十四度到現在高於零度；阿爾卑斯山地區正經歷一千三百年以來最暖的氣候，冰川萎縮；零四年底的南亞海嘯；過去一次又一次出現百年難得一見的水災和颱風等，都是大自然向人類發出的警告。

破壞大命滿足小命
過去，人類抱人定勝天的態度，因此我們的社會得以進步發展，但到了今天，也許怕死和悲觀的態度才能夠拯救人類不致於滅亡。《京都協議書》由簽訂以來，一些對環境污染最嚴重的國家都不受約束，例如美國跟中國、澳洲也拒簽《京都協議書》，原因是它會令工人失業，減慢經濟發展。大自然是「大命」，人類和其他所有依賴這個大自然生存的生命，都只不過是「小命」而已；可是人類很短視，也太自私，把自己的小命當作是世界上最重要的東西，為滿足這條小命，不惜破壞大自然，傷害其他生物。試問大命活不成，我們這條小命又如何活下去呢？這個世界甚麼災害都比不上人禍，人類貪婪、短視、 自私、狡猾，若 不好好反省，早晚會把自己趕上絕路去。

後話: 枉論這是作者個人情感的投影或是對社會諸事的不滿控訴, 此篇文章的確值大家借鏡反思!

Impressed Words

A decision is a judgment. It is a choice between alternatives. It is rarely a choice between right and wrong. It is at best a choice between “almost right” and “probably wrong” – but much more often a choice between two courses of action neither of which is provably more nearly right than the other.

– Peter F.Drucker

Delusional Disorder

Due to an ad hoc incident, I have my posting plan changed in order to address the issue at the right time. Hope the piece offering some ideas to my neighbors the importance of mental health. DinDin, take care!

Delusional disorder is a psychiatric diagnosis denoting a psychotic mental illness that involves holding one or more non-bizarre delusions in the absence of any other significant psychopathology (signs or symptoms of mental illness). In particular a person with delusional disorder has never met any other criteria for schizophrenia and does not have any marked hallucinations, although tactile (touch) or olfactory (smell) hallucinations may be present if they are related to the theme of the delusion.

A person with delusional disorder can be quite functional and does not tend to show any odd or bizarre behaviour except as a direct result of the delusional belief. It is worth noting that the term paranoa was previously used in psychiatry to denote what is now called 'delusional disorder'. The modern psychiatric use of the word paranoia is subtly different but now rarely refers to this specific diagnosis.

The type of Delusional Disorder may be specified based on the predominant delusional theme:
Erotomanic Type: This subtype applies when the central theme of the delusion is that another person is in love with the individual. The delusion often concerns idealized romantic love and spiritual union rather than sexual attraction. The person about whom this conviction is held is usually of higher status, but can be a complete stranger. Efforts to contact the object of the delusion are common, although occasionally the person keeps the delusion secret. Most individuals with this subtype in clinical samples are female; most individuals with this subtype in forensic samples are male. Some individuals with this subtype, particularly males, come into conflict with the law in their efforts to pursue the object of their delusion or in a misguided effort to “rescue” him or her from some imagined danger.

Grandiose Type: This subtype applies when the central theme of the delusion is the conviction of having some great talent or insight or having made some important discovery. Less commonly, the individual may have the delusion of having a special relationship with a prominent person or being a prominent person. Grandiose delusions may have a religious content.

Jealous Type: The subtype applies when the central theme of the person’s delusion is that his or her spouse or lover is unfaithful. This belief is arrived at without due cause and is based on incorrect inferences supported by small bits of “evidence”, which are collected and used to justify the delusion. The individual with the delusion usually confronts the spouse or lover and attempts to intervene in the imagined infidelity.

Persecutory Type: This subtype applies when the central theme of the delusion involves the person’s belief that he or she is being conspired against, cheated, spied on, followed, poisoned or drugged, maliciously maligned, harassed, or obstructed in the pursuit of long-term goals. Small slights may be exaggerated and become the focus of a delusional system. The focus of the delusion is often on some injustice that must be remedied by legal action, and the affected person may engage in repeated attempts to obtain satisfaction by appeal to the courts and other government agencies. Individuals with persecutory delusions are often resentful and angry and may resort to violence against those they believe are hurting them.

Somatic Type: This subtype applies when the central theme of the delusion involves bodily functions or sensations. Somatic delusions can occur in several forms. Most common are the person’s conviction that he or she emits a foul odor from the skin, mouth, rectum, or vagina; that there is an infestation of insects on or in the skin; that there is an internal parasite; that certain parts of the body are definitely missphapen or ugly; or that parts of the body are not functioning.

Mixed Type: This subtype applies when no one delusional theme predominates.

Unspecified Type: This subtype applies when the dominant delusional belief cannot be clearly determined or is not described in the specific types.

References:
1) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Fourth Edition , Text Revision. American Psychiatric Association.
2) Wikipedia - Delusional Disorder Nov2006

致受頭痛困擾的你

上一回說頭痛的感覺, 多謝各方的提點, 頭痛在生也在心, 短期的頭痛多休息便可, 但慣性的頭痛則可大可小, 不可不理也! 謝謝圓圓的提點, 順道在網上找尋轉載這一篇, 希望沒頭痛的你留心,受頭痛困擾的你要留意, 也謹記不要再吃必利痛啦 (尢其係寫在鄰blog的她)!

寶礦力+ 暖開水優於必利痛千百倍

CASE 1
有一次在機上，有一位客人因為子宮出血要從日本趕回台灣，她的醫生有開證明准許她坐飛機， 所以我們也不能拒絕她。可是她在途中卻說不舒服，幸好商務艙剛好有位醫生。 他除了替她量血壓之外， 還要我們拿寶礦力加溫開水給病人喝， 我才知道有這一招。

CASE 2
我老公公司幫醫院做電腦規劃工作，之前就有幾個醫生跟他熟絡，而且還是主診醫生。他們告訴我老公他們自己生病時都不吃必利痛，跟我老公說如果頭疼時，不要吃頭痛藥， 去買運動飲料（不冰的）混和溫開水來喝，大概 1比 1或1 比2的比例， 喝一兩大杯比吃藥還有效又不傷身。因為頭痛多半是因電解質不平衡所引起的，但是如果單喝運動飲料又太濃，而冰水跟冷水也對身體不好， 所以加暖水稀釋。而且我們試過之後，也覺得真的比吃必利痛還有效。即使感冒引起的頭痛，也很有效。

這是希望告訴大家，吃一個必利痛會殘留在身體五年。先前有一個空姐，因為每次月經來就會疼痛不已，但又礙於工作必須經常性的站立，只好每個月都吃必利痛解經痛，沒想到才將近三十歲的年紀， 就開始洗腎了。

當你看完這篇報導，不要掉以輕心亂服成藥，持續發痛要看看醫生檢查。

Survival Analysis (I)

Survival analysis is a collection of specialized methods used to analyze data in which time until an event occurs is the response variable of interest. The common objective of a survival analysis study is not only whether an event occurred, but also when it occurred. What is unique about survival analysis is that even if the subject did not experience an event, the subject's survival time is still taken into account. These observations are called censored observations and they can arise when a subject does not experience the event before the study ends, the subject is lost to follow-up during the study, or the subject withdraws from the study.

Usually, the first step in the analysis of survival data is to estimate and plot the survival function. One method to estimate the survival function is the Kaplan-Meier method that takes into account censored observations. Kaplan-Meier curves can be estimated and plotted using the LIFETEST procedure.

Another way to describe the distribution of survival times is to examine the hazard function. This function is essentially an instantaneous event rate that allows you to examine the forces of risk over time. The hazard function can be estimated using the life table method or by the SMOOTH macro developed by Allison (1995).

活著感恩

「上天沒特別眷顧你,生活總有挫折和不快,人皆有之,學會活著感恩,人就自然開心快活!要知道當客觀環境不能改變時,不要讓負面情緒掩蓋自己，學會盡量去欣賞事物美好的一面,正面去待事與情,積極面對人生,半杯水的人生哲理就是在於觀點與角度!既然一場來到,何不盡情而活?」

~ Dr.Yip@2006 ~

熱朱古力養顏

想養顏護膚，不一定要食燕窩、雪蛤膏， 飲熱朱古力一樣有效 。德國最新研究發現 ，每天一杯熱朱古力，肌膚會變得更滑, 更滋潤， 還可防紫外光 。 怕肥的女士對朱古力都敬而遠之，其實可可豆 含豐富的抗氧物黃酮醇（ flavonols ），可改善血液循環和血管功能。黃酮醇亦可在茶、葡萄酒和蔬果中找到。杜塞爾多夫（Dusseldorf ）一間大學最近進行小規模實驗，安排2 4 女士在三個月內，每天喝一杯熱朱古力，其中一半人喝黃酮醇含量較高的熱朱古力，其他人則喝黃酮醇含量較低的。結果顯示，喝黃酮醇含量較高的熱朱古力的人，皮膚質素改善了，皮下的血液循環和水份含量提高，並可防禦紫外光，減低曬傷機會。研究人員強調，黃酮醇不是藥物，對皮膚的影響有限，長期效果則較明顯。但一杯朱古力含超過200 卡路里， 要瘦身還是美肌 ，女士們自己抉擇了 。

~ 路透社/Journal of Nutrition 2006 ~

Poincaré conjecture

In mathematics, the Poincaré conjecture (see Henri Poincaré for pronunciation) is a conjecture about the characterisation of the three-dimensional sphere amongst 3-manifolds. Until its recent resolution, it was widely considered to be the most important unsolved problem in topology. It is one of the seven Millennium Prize Problems for which the Clay Mathematics Institute is offering a $1,000,000 prize for a correct solution.

As of 2006, a consensus amongst experts has concluded that recent work by Grigori Perelman in 2003 has disposed of this question, after nearly a century. And now it has been solved by two mathematicians from China who just spent two years to make the job done.

中國數學雙傑 破解百年難題 / 綜合報道 / 5Jun06
http://hk.news.yahoo.com/060604/60/1og72.html
References: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poincare_conjecture

Chocolate can Cure

The power of chocolate was regarded widely with mystery and awe. It was discovered that dark chocolate has antioxidant properties, which can actually help protect the body from damaging oxidative stress. Researchers believe the regulation of nitric oxide production by the flavanols found in dark chocolate could explain its effects on insulin and blood pressure. The flavanols interact with the body to increase nitric oxide bioavailability. One suggested mechanism is insulin-mediated cell signaling, because insulin can modulate several signaling molecules involved in nitric oxide-synthase regulation and results improving insulin resistance and sensitivity as well decreased systolic blood pressure.

Chocolate contains endorphins which simulate your brain and senses and cheer you up in general. That’s why some claimed dark chocolate can cure the broken heart and make you happy. Have a bite while the period of feeling down, it helps . . .

The white chocolate, on the other hand, had no effect as adding milk cancels out the chocolate’s antioxidant effects.

Note: The Healing History of Chocolate

公共衛生

WHO要求各國立即報告H5N1型禽流感病毒疫情，獲取幫助以便控制疫情。

《國際衛生條例》(International Health Regulations)的新規定在5月的世界衛生大會上通過。海曼在美國熱帶醫學學會的會議中闡述上述新規定前表示，新規定建立在對抗SARS教訓的基礎上。根據先前的規定，WHO成員國僅需報告霍亂、瘟疫和黃熱病的病例。如今他們必須報告「一切可能引起國際關注，構成公共衛生緊急情況的事件」。各國也必須確保基礎設施就緒，比如能夠診斷疫情的實驗室與工作人員。各國也必須報告所知的任何公共衛生危險，即使事發地點不在其領土內。

海曼表示，如果H5N1確實引發疫情大流行，上述新規定將有所助益。

- 路透華盛頓 -

Hopelessness

JY wrote her feeling TODAY,

“I never know I want to be a writer until I found myself hopeless and don't know how to lead on.”

Life needs HOPE. It grants you no just a direction but energy to survive, courage to rebound and strength to meet challenge from our daily life. Words from people nowadays, however, are more in negative/pessimistic and grey. Like JY’s comment people appealing to such thought may be due to the need of recognition and identification. It feeds you an idea that you aren’t alone and some from another corner of the world suffer as well.

Does any scale can be introduced to measure such virtual feeling – Hopeless? The Answer is YES! And now we have to shift our attention to the fields of Psychology and Psychiatry. For those interest parties, please complete the 20-items following and update me your answer accordingly.

=>Beck Hopelessness Scale

天行健 君子自強不息

易經，宇宙萬物自然法則，與人類生活行為合為一體。解釋萬物變化的哲理。一般人看到易經，總以為一種占卜法而已。事實上，易經博大經深。古時”易經”已被奉為”群經之首”。 占卜不過是其應用之一罷了。由其六十四卦所推演的種種道理，尚可運用於許多的學術中。諸如：命理學、天文學、相學、醫學、堪輿學、倫理學、兵法、仙學．．．等。 今天要談的是八八六十四卦中的第一卦 - 乾

第一卦 乾 乾為天 乾上乾下
乾：元，亨，利，貞。
初九：潛龍，勿用。
九二：見龍再田，利見大人。
九三：君子終日乾乾，夕惕若，厲無咎。
九四：或躍在淵，無咎。
九五：飛龍在天，利見大人。
上九：亢龍有悔。
用九：見群龍無首，吉。曰：大哉乾元，万物資始，乃統天。云行雨施，品物流形。大明始終，六位時成，時乘六龍以御天。乾道變化，各正性命，保合大和，乃利貞。首出庶物，万國咸宁。
象曰：天行健，君子以自強不息。

本卦象﹕乾、元、亨、利、貞。乾為大亨通，守貞正則吉。元亨為陽，利貞為陰。

乾乃建也，為萬物生成化育，綿延不息之意，天與人之間，本具有一貫相通之理。 亦即「原」也，意謂著事物之初、開始、起端、根本、基礎、大、多、勝；亨即「通」也，意謂著事物之通達、進行、無休止、無窮盡、無匱乏、無終結；利即「宜」也，意謂著事物之宜、有濟、有利益、有用處；貞即「固」也，意謂著事物之堅固、安定、保 守、永久、不變、理直氣正。元、亨、利、貞乃「乾」之四德，可解釋為：凡事須有一善的開始與發展「元」， 經過一番善的協調、整合「亨」，而以最誠意的義理實踐，必然有所利益「利」，如此 則凡事所作所為，方能有一根本、主幹可固守、安定不變「貞」。

初爻﹕潛龍勿用
時機未到，還不要開始，急進會遭失敗。實力難發揮，準備之時。

二爻﹕見龍在田。利見大人。
可以推展。聽從長上意見較好。

三爻﹕君子終日乾乾、夕惕若厲。旡咎。
危險之時，要注意不要失足。意圖變化之時，多忙。

四爻﹕或躍在淵。旡咎。
已逐漸接近目標，但時機未到。多迷惑。有變化。

五爻﹕飛龍在天，利見大人。
盛運之時，實力得以發揮，可推進。將成中心。得意之時。

六爻﹕亢龍有悔。
凶兆。盲進會失敗，唯有退卻。事物的終止之時。有爭訟。

用九：見群龍無首，吉。
陽必陰,此時應沉著應戰,分析當中變化,按客觀規律去作,才能用九, 而不是被九所用。冷靜,客觀,不衝動,不逞強,不妄動,通權達變,才能撐握事物變化規律。

備註:昨晚在DinDin處偶然想起唸書時上過的通識課,很是過癮!有次我上的是易經六十四掛,以科學證之易經並非迷信之說,而導師便是某某博士,其博士論文便是以此為題!有趣,他更教導由中國文化,歷史演變,如何起掛,解說一一細說!很久前找了些資料,記錄了點滴!人生哲理,如今再貼,與你共勉之!

Neural Network

Neural networks are not new; they have been around since 1943. But although the neural calculus had been worked out, no automated method of setting the network's connection strengths was known.

To better appreciate the challenges of multivariate function estimation, a number of classical approaches to univariate function estimation are explored. These approaches broadly fall into three areas.

- Nonlinear Regression
- Empirical Model Building
- Nonparametric Regression

Univariate methods rapidly become more difficult as the number of inputs increase. Because of the difficulty specifying the functional forms of high-dimensional equations, it is uncommon to use parametric nonlinear regression for more than one or possibly two inputs. And nonparametric regression methods, such as smoothing splines, suffer because of the relative sparseness of data in higher dimensions.

Neural networks are also flexible multivariate function estimators. Unlike classical methods, however, neural networks perform well in sparse, high-dimensional spaces.

- Potts, WJE. Neural Network Modeling –

紫微斗數

起源
「紫微斗數」出於道家，始於呂純陽﹐載於道藏經﹐至宋朝有陳希夷﹐明朝有羅洪先﹐清朝有青城道士﹐繼續研究﹐發揚光大。宋朝陳希夷被認為是「紫微斗數」的集大成者。民初北方亦有人加以研究﹐抗戰期間﹐有人發現許多有關「紫微斗數」的書籍和秘本。由於知者守秘﹐以致故流傳不廣。本世紀六十年代以來﹐經有心人士的大力推廣﹐「紫微斗數」早已深入人心﹐風靡日本﹑香港﹑臺灣等地﹐研究者眾﹐流派紛呈。雖各有所長﹐卻始終不離其基本義理。在中國大陸﹐改革開放後「紫微斗數」亦廣為人知。 「紫微斗數」在中國傳統的推算術﹐已存在一千多年之久﹐卻歷久彌新﹐主要就是其推測的準確性極高。

什麼是紫微斗數﹖
中國的命理學祿命首推「紫微斗數」，因其預測細緻及準確性極高，最深受大眾喜愛與重視。「紫微」指的北極星，「斗」指南北斗，以天上的南北斗為主星佈於命盤，用來推算祿命，稱為斗數。

由於星斗的分佈依紫微為準則，紫微定位則南北斗十四星亦定位，所以才稱為「紫微斗數」。 「紫微斗數」雖然義理高深，其預測原理以一個人的出生年月日時所排列出十二宮垣，其中包含命宮、兄弟、夫妻、子女、財帛、疾厄、遷移、交友、事業、田宅、福德、父母、身宮等，再經由這基本命盤中的星曜推演出一個人的吉凶禍福及流年運勢等。

「紫微斗數」是綜合統計學、數學、心理學、 地理學及邏輯學的理論, 再參合普通常識和人生經驗而成的一種學問。當初發明的人﹐將天上南斗星群、北斗星群、紫微垣群星及其他雜星的關係﹐來類比人的一生遭遇。掌握了「紫微斗數」推算的深奧義理﹐以之預測人的一生運勢吉凶與運勢﹐鮮有不中者﹐故其號稱「天下第一神術」﹐名列中國五大神數之首。

Key computer breakthrough

Russian scientists have invented a computer keyboard where each key has its own tiny video screen. It means the symbols on the keys can be changed to show different languages or symbols at a stroke.

Every single key of the Moscow-based Art.Lebedev Studio's all-purpose Optimus keyboard is a 32 times 32 pixel OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) display. The company's director Artemy Lebedev said: "Every key has the display ability of a monitor.

"The possibilities with our invention are absolutely limitless, just like there are no constraints on using a monitor to display any image on it."

According to him, the Optimus keyboard will enable the users to switch from the Arabic, Cyrillic or Latin alphabet or HTLM code in a matter of seconds. But it could also be programmed for the use of any given software, like Photoshop, computer games or music composition programmes.

The keyboard will have an aluminium case and polycarbonate keys and is due to be released on the market in 2006, at the estimated price of about £200.

- ananova 2005 -

終身成就

日本動畫導演宮崎駿週五在威尼斯影展獲頒終身成就獎，他表示，他對於作品只在國內造成轟動卻無法在海外獲得迴響，一點也不在意。以害羞聞名的他，今年跟其他幾位亞洲導演都面臨必須對作品在西方國家票房欠佳做解釋的窘境。

宮崎駿至今仍親自動手作畫以構思童話影片，最出名的作品是心思刻畫細膩、劇情感人的奧斯卡得獎片《神隱少女》，該片跟《神奇寶貝》之類單純天真的日本動畫形象大異其趣。在被問到為何他別具風格的影片仍無法在海外大賣時，他回答記者說，「每個人都有他的偏好，這無所謂。像我從來不打高爾夫或網球--我就是不喜歡這些運動。」

滿頭白髮的宮崎駿1941年生於東京，在威尼斯麗都飯店領獎時，受到熱淚盈眶的觀眾起立鼓掌致敬。其實他認為終身成就獎是「給退休老人的玩意」，原本打算缺席。但是他聽說Clint Eastwood以Million Dollar Baby贏得奧斯卡獎之前也領過終身成就獎，於是改變心意。

宮崎駿承認他喜歡卡通短片，做長片「只是為了賺錢」。

備: 喜歡他的老實,不做作,不來就不來,不需要特別因由,也可以為一無關的小事而改變初衷!我相信,也只有那些真正喜歡的,才會在他的工作上不停追求至善,為找尋新靈感而苦思難眠,人生的確是需要這點兒的執意,令空洞無聊的生活添加色彩!

- 路透威尼斯電 Sept2005-

The Shaw Prize 2005

The Shaw Prize in Mathematical Sciences 2005
Biographical Note of Shaw Laureate

Andrew Wiles (b. 1953) is a professor at Princeton University. He earned his B.A. from Oxford University (1974) and Ph.D. from Cambridge University, UK (1979). Following in the footsteps of his father, Professor Wiles went on to become an assistant professor at Harvard University. In 1982 he became a lecturer at the Institute for Advanced Studies and professor of mathematics at Princeton. In 1994 Professor Wiles was appointed Eugene Higgins Professor of Mathematics at Princeton.

He astonished the world's mathematical community in 1994 when he unveiled his solution to Fermat's Last Theorem. In 1996 he was awarded the Common Wealth Award for Science and Invention, and elected as a foreign member to the National Academy of Sciences of the United States.

Research Contributions - Fermat's Last Theorem
The equation
x**2 + y**2 = z**2
has infinitely many solutions for which x, y and z are positive integers. The smallest such solution is
3**2 + 4**2 = 5**2
which has been known since antiquity. In 1630 Fermat (1601-1665) conjectured that the more general equation
x**n + y**n = z**n, for n = integer > 2,
has no integer solutions. This was later called Fermat's last theorem. It remained the most famous unproven conjecture in mathematics for more than three centuries until 1994 when Wiles completed his long and difficult proof, which uses powerful mathematical ideas and insights developed in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Being a scientist is dull in appearance sometimes but it charms in intelligence. They bring life into advance benefiting human being in many countless days and nights working hard alone. They are nameless benefactor to all of us.

Dog cloned

According to the journal Nature, the Korean team led by Professor Woo Suk Hwang transplanted more than 1,000 embryos into 123 bitches. The cells were taken from the ear of a three-year-old Afghan hound called Tai and were then placed in an unfertilised egg from a female labrador. The egg was treated with electric current to begin its transformation to an embryo before it was put back in the labrador's womb.

The result was just three pregnancies. One miscarried and another died from pneumonia after three weeks. And now Snuppy is 14 weeks old which is the world's first cloned dog.

It’s expected that news of Snuppy's birth bring a flood of inquiries from dog-lovers who want to clone their pets. However, Professor Woo says cloning pets is not the point of his research. He said: "Our goal is to find cures for debilitating diseases and illnesses."

Being a scientist, he/she should have ethical awareness and be considerate of the research impact towards human being as a whole rather just a profit earning.

- The Sun/20Aug05 -

A hug can help

A simple snuggle can help lower blood pressure and reduce stress, a new study suggests.

Thirty-eight couples participated in the study, which measured blood pressure, stress levels and oxytocin before and after they discussed a happy moment together, watched five minutes of a romantic film and shared a 20-second hug.

The result, according to an article in the latest issue of the journal Psychosomatic Medicine, was lower levels of the stress hormones cortisol and norepinephrine and higher levels of oxytocin in both men and women. Those shifts all contribute to cardiac health. Women were found to be more responsive to warm partner contact. Dr. Karen Grewen, a psychiatrist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and lead researcher, said oxytocin and the female reproductive hormone estrogen were closely related, which may be why women were more responsive to the hormone than men were.

"Not all marriages appear equally protective," Grewen reported. "The quality of the marital relationship seems to play an essential role in health outcomes." While the sample size was adequate to show a role for oxytocin, it was too small to suggest anything about causation, Grewen said. The study also lacked a comparison group that didn't receive warm partner contact.

"The bottom line from this study is that social support and, really, the whole emotional and psychological interaction show that the heart and mind are really connected."

- WASHINGTON/Aug05 -

Note: give me a hug while my sensation frustrating and a warm hug as well shows your care, please!