ITALY Trip

Still feel like dreaming.. Not difficult to travel by own actually.. To be continue.

This is one snake who is likely to be more than a little snappy if provoked.
The mutant black and gold python regius - royal python or ball python - was born in Villingen-Schwenningen, southern Germany, with two heads.

Twice the bite: This python regius, or ball python, was born with two heads in Villingen-Schwennigen, Germany:

Which way next? The one-year-old snake is now 20in long and appears to be coping well with its mutation:

Snake breeder Stefan Broghammer said the slippery customer is around one years old and has grown to around 20 inches.
He said the creature is only the second python known to be born with two heads.
The snake is non-venomous, found in Africa and are a popular pet.
Adults generally grow up to around 4ft and when threatened their instinctively curl into a ball to defend themselves.

Rare: Snake breeder Stefan Broghammer, pictured, said it was only the second time on record of a python being born with two heads:

Bak Kut Teh+I-City Day Trip by KL

Dear G7,

As per requested by G4 (CK,BT,SC&ZY), FINALLY I had planned our July's day trip to Klang&I-City. Hence, attached herewith my proposed agenda as below:

Bak Kut Teh+I-City Weekend Day Trip @ 24/07/2011
...
10.00am ~ 11.30am - Start our trip from home (Toll fee:TBA)
(Remarks: Due to I had no idea regarding the way to Klang,hence I need help from other's G7 member to search about it)

11.30am ~ 2.00pm - Enjoy lunch (Bak Kut Teh @ Klang)
1st choice: 来春肉骨茶 (Lai Chun Bak Kut Teh)
Add: 116,Jln Pekan Baru,Off Jln Meru.
Tel: 012-652 1659

2nd choice: 留香肉骨茶 (Liu Xiang Bak Kut Teh)
Add: 1,Jln Gelugur,Off Jln Meru.
Tel: 012-364 3443

2.00pm ~ 3.00pm - Dessert (Tang Yuan @ Klang)
Restoran Pin Chou
Add: 112,Jln Pekan Baru,Kws 17,Off Jln Meru (behind Klang Parade)

4.00pm ~ 6.00pm - Snowalk @ i-City
Parking: RM10/car
Entrance fee: RM25/adult (include jacket rental only)
Rental of shoes: RM10/pair
*encourage to wear long pant (Temperature:below 5 ℃)
*optional: you can bring your own jacket/gloves/snow cap/scarf for your convenience

6.00pm ~ 6.30pm - Enjoy snow fall at lobby area of snowalk

6.30pm ~ 7.30pm - Dinner @ I-City

7.30pm ~ 9.30pm - Digital nightscapes @ I-City
* dancing light @ 8.30pm

9.30pm ~ 11.30pm - Finish the wonderful trip & back to our sweet sweet home with a lot of sweet & memorable memories.

If got any comment/suggestion, please do not feel hesitate to proposed here. TQ^.^


Best regard,
KL

Weekend Trip by BT

Dear All,

I had planned a day trip as we mentioned earlier before regarding a sightseeing trip to Kuala Lumpur. Hence, attached herewith my proposed agenda and also attached together some of the related link for your reference.

Kindly leave or voice your opinion/suggestion (if any) for our this upcoming weekend trip. Is Looking forward to all of your favorable response. ^.^
...

Weekend Day Trip to Kuala Lumpur

Agenda :-

8.30 a.m - 10.00 a.m - Breakfast (Own)

10.45 a.m - 12.00 p.m – National Planetarium (Entrance fee is RM 6)
http://wn.com/Planetarium_Negara

12.00 p.m - 1.00 p.m – Lunch

1.00 p.m - 2.30 p.m – Lake Gardens, National Monument

1) http://visit-to-kl.com/visit/Lake_garden.html
2) http://goseasia.about.com/od/malaysiastopattractions/tp/perdana_lake_gardens.htm

3.00 p.m - 5.00 p.m – National Science Centre (Entrance fee is RM 6)

5.30 p.m - 7.30 p.m – Dinner

7.30 p.m - 9.00 p.m – Home Sweet Home


Alternative place : Aquaria KLCC (Entrance fee is RM 28)


P.S. For any suggestions or places that you are wish to go and propose here are most welcomed.

Thank You.

Best Regards,
TML

Portable DNA Purifier for Poor Countries

A new handheld device isolates DNA from human fluid without the use of electrical power.
A standard bicycle pump is all that's required to power a DNA purifying kit, designed by Catherine Klapperich and her students at Boston University. The thermos-size device, dubbed SNAP (System for Nucleic Acid Preparation), extracts genetic material from blood and other bodily fluids by pumping fluid through a polymer-lined straw designed to trap DNA. A user can then pop the straw out and mail it to the nearest lab, where the preserved DNA can be analyzed for suspicious bacteria, viruses, and genetic diseases.

A DNA extraction device that requires no power, such as the SNAP prototype, would have tremendous value in rural communities, says Paul Yager, a professor and acting chair of the University of Washington's Department of Bioengineering, who was not involved in the research. "This would be the front end for a lot of potential instruments people could use," he says.

To test for diseases like HIV, clinicians typically take blood samples from patients, which then must be refrigerated and transported to the nearest laboratory. Technicians then extract and analyze the DNA. In areas where electricity is scarce, blood may not be adequately refrigerated, potentially degrading a sample's quality. Isolated DNA, on the other hand, remains relatively stable at room temperature, so extracting DNA from blood before shipping it to a laboratory may eliminate the need for expensive refrigeration.

"Instead of taking blood samples and keeping them cold, with our technology, they would be able to prepare all the samples at the point of care," says Klapperich, an assistant professor of mechanical and biomedical engineering at Boston University. "They would also have a longer period of time to get a much more preserved sample to a central lab someplace else."

The conventional method of extracting DNA from blood involves a number of instruments: researchers first break open blood cell walls, either with chemicals or by shaking the blood, in order to get at genetic material inside cells. They then add a detergent to wash away the fatty cell walls, and spin the DNA out of solution with a centrifuge. The SNAP prototype performs a similar series of events with a bicycle pump, some simple chemicals, and a specialized straw lined with a polymer designed to attract and bind DNA.

A world without need for men

While some females would argue this has long been the case, British fertility researchers are on track to proving it, having created sperm using stem cells from an embryo.

Scientists at the Northeast England Stem Cell Institute say that with some minor adjustments, the technique could theoretically be used to fertilise an egg to create a child - taking real men out of the equation.

Within a decade, the technique may be adapted to help couples have children genetically on their own, or even for sperm to be created from female stem cells, they say.

But New Zealand experts warn that the technique is still a work in progress and have shied away from the big question of male dispensability.

Sylvia Rumball, chairwoman of the Massey University advisory committee on assisted reproductive technology, said: "I think I'll pass on that one."

Guy Gudex, medical director of Repromed Auckland, laughed and said: "Don't go there, don't even go there."

But Dr Richard Fisher, director of Fertility Associates, took a stand.

"There's no good reason why you couldn't ultimately generate a sperm-like cell from any cell in the body, so the answer to that is potentially yes."

Jokes aside, the experts said the technique was far from being used.

"I think I heard them say on the five-year horizon," said Professor Rumball, whose committee advises the Minister of Health on ongoing developments in the field.

"We tend to try to think first of all about issues associated with producing something, and then the use of that is a separate thing.

"It's got to be shown that it really can happen before we put our regulatory hats on and decide what should happen."

Dr Gudex said the technique, if proven successful, could help men unable to produce sperm. "We still don't have a way of helping men with either no sperm at all or the condition known as 'maturation arrest' [slow-maturing sperm]."

Professor Gareth Jones, an Otago University commentator on scientific and bioethical issues, said it was not just about the technical achievement.

"It is a matter of how successful will this be and what will be the problem. You've then got to say, 'Well, what genetic characteristics will the sperm have?"'

Professor Jones queried whether artificially produced sperm would have the same characteristics as true sperm: "If the answer to that was going to be yes, then perhaps you could say in the end there wouldn't be a great problem."

If sperm was ultimately produced from female cells and a man was no longer required, cloning allegations would come into play. "You're probably not going to get rid of men that quickly."

Professor Karim Nayernia, the stem cell biologist leading the UK team, admitted the sperm created were not perfect, but they had all the essential qualities for creating life. "They have heads, they have tails and they move. The shape is not quite normal, nor the movement, but they contain the proteins for egg activation."

Lemon Frosted Lemon Cake Recipe

Recipe:
1 cup (226 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Zest of 1 large lemon
2 cups (280 grams) all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (60 ml) fresh lemon juice
Icing:
1 cup (115 grams) confectioners' (powdered or icing) sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and place rack in the center of the oven. Butter, or spray with a nonstick spray, a 9 inch (23 cm) springform pan and then line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
In the bowl of your electric mixer, with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy and pale in color (about 3 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract and lemon zest.
Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt and then add to the batter along with the lemon juice. Mix only until incorporated.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with an offset spatula. Bake about 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Place on a wire rack to cool, then gently remove the sides of the pan.
For the icing, combine the sifted confectioners' sugar with the 2 tablespoons lemon juice. (You want the icing to be thicker than a glaze but still thin enough that it will just run over the sides of the cake. If not the right consistency add more lemon juice or powdered sugar, accordingly.) Frost the top of the cake, allowing the icing to drip down the sides. Let the icing set before covering.
This cake will keep for several days in an airtight container.
Makes one - 9 inch (23 cm) cake