Bengkulu (ANTARA News) - The population of the Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris Sumatrae) is expected to increase by 20 percent by 2014, the Bengkulu Natural Resources Conservation Board (BKSDA) Chief Andi Basrul said here Sunday.
The number of the tiger species is only 50-70 left in Bengkulu, while actually they totalled 400 tigers in the different parts of Sumatra, according to BKSDA.
"The population of the Sumatran tiger is currently estimated at 400 in the forests of Aceh to Lampung," he said.
According to the International Tiger Summit Partners Dialogue and Meeting held in Bali recently by nine tiger countries, the number of tigers had been increasing, he said.
The meeting discussed the conservation of the remaining natural tiger population like the Sumatran tiger, along with eight other countries, namely Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand and Vietnam, he said.
He said that the tiger declining population is caused by hunting them.
BKSDA data show that 40 percent of the 900 thousand hectares of Bengkulu Province`s forests had been seriously damaged.
Besides threatened by illegal hunting, the tigers are also threatened by conflict with humans in the woods.
Conflicts between humans and tigers are common in the Seluma and Kaur districts, as people`s houses and plantations are located within the habitat of the tigers.
As a result, it is common for the tigers to enter houses, as in Mekar Jaya hamlet, Seluma district, tigers often entered the homes of the residents, after their livestock.(*)
Source: http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/1280671730/sumatran-tigers-population-to-increase-in-2014
August 2, 2010
A blueprint for blue planet protection
London, England (CNN) -- The oceans have become so depleted by over-fishing, pollution and climate change that they can only be saved by a large global network of reserves, according to a growing consensus among marine scientists.
Campaigners say that sea life -- particularly at the top of the food chain -- is suffering to such an extent that there will eventually be no fish left if action drastic action is not taken to protect the oceans.
More than 70 percent of the world is covered by oceans. There are currently more than 4,000 marine protected areas covering just over 1 percent of the oceans, but the vast majority of reserves have only limited protection.
According to Professor Callum Roberts, of the University of York, one of the leading campaigners and author of The Unnatural History of the Sea, only about 0.1 percent of the sea is completely protected from all exploitation. This should be between 25 and 45 percent to give marine species the best chance of recovery, he said.
The Global Ocean Legacy, a project of the Pew Environment Group, issued a statement to mark World Oceans Day in June signed by 257 marine scientists in 37 countries calling for a large network of highly protected no-take reserves.
Prof Roberts told CNN: "There's strong and ample evidence that the oceans' eco systems are in trouble and need protection.
"Fishing now reaches every corner of the world's oceans, so the only refuges are those we have chosen to create.
"In the future climate change is going to loom ever more heavily as a factor in damaging marine life. The only way the oceans can remain resilient to climate change is by establishing more protection."
According to Greenpeace, 90 percent of the large predator fish stocks are gone or in trouble and 90 percent of exploited fish stocks in the European Union are in trouble.
David Ritter, head of biodiversity at Greenpeace UK, told CNN: "There's no doubt that the oceans are in crisis.
"All over the world, we are seeing a systematic degradation of the marine environment.
"In some fisheries as many as 80 percent of fish are simply thrown away as by-catch.
"Fish stocks are collapsing, taking out first the top predators, such as sharks, tuna and swordfish, and moving down the food chain.
"We now have a lot more small fish and crustaceans because their predators are gone, but eventually they will be gone too. We could end up with a situation where there's nothing left but worms."
The Pew Environment Group set up its five-year Global Ocean Legacy project in 2007 with the intention of persuading governments to set up four very large marine reserves: 410,000 sq miles in the Coral Sea off Australia; a 246,000 sq mile area around the Kermadec Islands near New Zealand; the Mariana Trench, the world's deepest trench in U.S. waters in the Pacific; and 210,000 sq miles around the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean.
So far, two of these targets, the Mariana Trench and the Chagos Islands, have been successful, and the other two campaigns are ongoing.
The Chagos Islands, protected in April this year by the UK government, became the world's largest marine reserve.
Jay Nelson, director of Global Ocean Legacy, said: "We are asking too much of our oceans and not paying enough attention to their long-term health.
"For 150 years, it's been accepted that iconic or important places on land should be protected, but in the sea it's a relatively new idea.
"Fisheries are getting further and further afield and we are getting more unusual species of fish from parts of the ocean we would not have dreamt of going to 30 years ago.
"The emergence of fish like Chilean Seabass is an example. The species is actually Patagonian Toothfish, but that's not a good name for marketing. These fish take 80 years to mature, and you can't sustainably eat a fish that's 80 years old. We are already having to go further and further south into the Antarctic Ocean to find it.
In 2009, the UK introduced a Marine and Coastal Access Act, creating new Marine Conservation Zones, although the act did not go as far as some campaigners had hoped because no target was set for the percentage of UK waters to be protected.
Other countries which have made significant progress on creating marine reserves include Germany, Australia, South Africa, the United States and the Federated States of Micronesia, according to Prof Roberts.
However, the majority of the world's oceans are international waters, where there is no single body responsible for their protection.
Nelson said: "Reserves are relatively easy to set up in national waters because governments can take unilateral action.
"However, it's more complicated in international waters because they require co-operation across nations. Surveillance and enforcement in international waters is particularly challenging."
Nelson said that one 36,000 sq mile reserve had been set up last year in international waters around the South Orkney Islands in the Southern Ocean, and that progress was being made towards others.
Any move towards creating marine reserves comes against resistance from some parts of the fishing industry, which says its livelihood is at stake.
Nelson said: "Marine reserves upset the status quo that all oceans should be open to everyone all the time, and to change that is a threat to some of those who use the oceans.
"However, our experience is that once marine reserves have been set up, everyone sees the benefits, even those who were opposed to them.
"Once reserves have been created we see the fish populations in neighboring fisheries increase and the size of individual fish increase.
"Our oceans have been so depleted that scientists don't even know what they should look like when they're healthy. However, where reserves have been set up, we are beginning to see that."
Source: http://edition.cnn.com/2010/TECH/innovation/07/26/marine.reserves/index.html#fbid=tVioA7BQ_k6
Campaigners say that sea life -- particularly at the top of the food chain -- is suffering to such an extent that there will eventually be no fish left if action drastic action is not taken to protect the oceans.
More than 70 percent of the world is covered by oceans. There are currently more than 4,000 marine protected areas covering just over 1 percent of the oceans, but the vast majority of reserves have only limited protection.
According to Professor Callum Roberts, of the University of York, one of the leading campaigners and author of The Unnatural History of the Sea, only about 0.1 percent of the sea is completely protected from all exploitation. This should be between 25 and 45 percent to give marine species the best chance of recovery, he said.
The Global Ocean Legacy, a project of the Pew Environment Group, issued a statement to mark World Oceans Day in June signed by 257 marine scientists in 37 countries calling for a large network of highly protected no-take reserves.
Prof Roberts told CNN: "There's strong and ample evidence that the oceans' eco systems are in trouble and need protection.
"Fishing now reaches every corner of the world's oceans, so the only refuges are those we have chosen to create.
"In the future climate change is going to loom ever more heavily as a factor in damaging marine life. The only way the oceans can remain resilient to climate change is by establishing more protection."
According to Greenpeace, 90 percent of the large predator fish stocks are gone or in trouble and 90 percent of exploited fish stocks in the European Union are in trouble.
David Ritter, head of biodiversity at Greenpeace UK, told CNN: "There's no doubt that the oceans are in crisis.
"All over the world, we are seeing a systematic degradation of the marine environment.
"In some fisheries as many as 80 percent of fish are simply thrown away as by-catch.
"Fish stocks are collapsing, taking out first the top predators, such as sharks, tuna and swordfish, and moving down the food chain.
"We now have a lot more small fish and crustaceans because their predators are gone, but eventually they will be gone too. We could end up with a situation where there's nothing left but worms."
The Pew Environment Group set up its five-year Global Ocean Legacy project in 2007 with the intention of persuading governments to set up four very large marine reserves: 410,000 sq miles in the Coral Sea off Australia; a 246,000 sq mile area around the Kermadec Islands near New Zealand; the Mariana Trench, the world's deepest trench in U.S. waters in the Pacific; and 210,000 sq miles around the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean.
So far, two of these targets, the Mariana Trench and the Chagos Islands, have been successful, and the other two campaigns are ongoing.
The Chagos Islands, protected in April this year by the UK government, became the world's largest marine reserve.
Jay Nelson, director of Global Ocean Legacy, said: "We are asking too much of our oceans and not paying enough attention to their long-term health.
"For 150 years, it's been accepted that iconic or important places on land should be protected, but in the sea it's a relatively new idea.
"Fisheries are getting further and further afield and we are getting more unusual species of fish from parts of the ocean we would not have dreamt of going to 30 years ago.
"The emergence of fish like Chilean Seabass is an example. The species is actually Patagonian Toothfish, but that's not a good name for marketing. These fish take 80 years to mature, and you can't sustainably eat a fish that's 80 years old. We are already having to go further and further south into the Antarctic Ocean to find it.
In 2009, the UK introduced a Marine and Coastal Access Act, creating new Marine Conservation Zones, although the act did not go as far as some campaigners had hoped because no target was set for the percentage of UK waters to be protected.
Other countries which have made significant progress on creating marine reserves include Germany, Australia, South Africa, the United States and the Federated States of Micronesia, according to Prof Roberts.
However, the majority of the world's oceans are international waters, where there is no single body responsible for their protection.
Nelson said: "Reserves are relatively easy to set up in national waters because governments can take unilateral action.
"However, it's more complicated in international waters because they require co-operation across nations. Surveillance and enforcement in international waters is particularly challenging."
Nelson said that one 36,000 sq mile reserve had been set up last year in international waters around the South Orkney Islands in the Southern Ocean, and that progress was being made towards others.
Any move towards creating marine reserves comes against resistance from some parts of the fishing industry, which says its livelihood is at stake.
Nelson said: "Marine reserves upset the status quo that all oceans should be open to everyone all the time, and to change that is a threat to some of those who use the oceans.
"However, our experience is that once marine reserves have been set up, everyone sees the benefits, even those who were opposed to them.
"Once reserves have been created we see the fish populations in neighboring fisheries increase and the size of individual fish increase.
"Our oceans have been so depleted that scientists don't even know what they should look like when they're healthy. However, where reserves have been set up, we are beginning to see that."
Source: http://edition.cnn.com/2010/TECH/innovation/07/26/marine.reserves/index.html#fbid=tVioA7BQ_k6
Licensed from AP Task force urges bone-density tests for more women
Routine screening for osteoporosis should include all younger postmenopausal women who have at least the same chance of a bone break as an older woman, a government task force said Monday.
Also, for the first time, the group weighed whether men should be checked for the bone-thinning disease, but it decided there wasn't enough evidence to recommend for or against the screening.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force's draft guidelines widen its 2002 advice, when it first said that all women over 65, plus those 60 to 64 at higher risk for fractures, should get a bone density test.
The task force now says all younger postmenopausal women should get checked if their risk of a broken bone is the same or greater than the average 65-year-old woman. Factors that can increase risk include low weight, certain drugs, smoking, heavy alcohol use and a parent who broke a hip.
"The majority of the evidence supports screening and treatment of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women," the task force wrote. "The evidence for primary prevention in men is lacking and future research is needed."
In a break from previous practice, the independent, government-appointed panel posted a draft of the guidelines online Monday to allow for public comment. The task force had been considering the move, but the reaction to its controversial mammogram guidelines last fall spurred the group to open the process earlier, said Dr. Ned Calonge, head of the panel.
Also Monday, the Annals of Internal Medicine published a review done for the task force of the latest research on screening methods, bone-building drugs and tools to calculate one's risk of low bone density and fractures.
Since the 2002 advice, a number of new osteoporosis drugs have been released and heavily advertised, such as Genentech's Boniva, promoted by actress Sally Field.
Osteoporosis weakens bones and leads to painful and crippling fractures primarily in the hip, spine and wrist. In women, it's mostly caused by a drop in bone-strengthening estrogen after menopause. The government estimates that 10 million Americans have the disease and half of all women will suffer an osteoporosis bone break in her lifetime.
The task force used a Web-based risk calculator called FRAX — http://www.shef.ac.uk/FRAX — that estimates one's odds of a fracture within 10 years. It shows women as young as 50 may meet the threshold for a bone test depending on their risk factors, the panel said.
A bone-mineral density X-ray is the one most frequently used tests to check for bone loss, and many women start getting the scans once they reach menopause. How frequently the checks are made varies. The task force said there's not enough evidence to say how often they should be done, but that a couple of years between tests are needed.
One large study found no advantage to repeating the test even after eight years, said Dr. Heidi Nelson, who led the scientific review done at the Oregon Evidence-based Practice Center at the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland.
"So we can really lay off a lot of these repeat screening tests," she said.
Other medical or advocacy groups support screening women over 65, and generally advise tests for younger women based on risk factors. The National Osteoporosis Foundation recommends screening men over 70; the American College of Physicians says doctors should check older men for risk factors.
Source: http://health.yahoo.net/news/s/ap/us_med_osteoporosis_screening
Also, for the first time, the group weighed whether men should be checked for the bone-thinning disease, but it decided there wasn't enough evidence to recommend for or against the screening.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force's draft guidelines widen its 2002 advice, when it first said that all women over 65, plus those 60 to 64 at higher risk for fractures, should get a bone density test.
The task force now says all younger postmenopausal women should get checked if their risk of a broken bone is the same or greater than the average 65-year-old woman. Factors that can increase risk include low weight, certain drugs, smoking, heavy alcohol use and a parent who broke a hip.
"The majority of the evidence supports screening and treatment of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women," the task force wrote. "The evidence for primary prevention in men is lacking and future research is needed."
In a break from previous practice, the independent, government-appointed panel posted a draft of the guidelines online Monday to allow for public comment. The task force had been considering the move, but the reaction to its controversial mammogram guidelines last fall spurred the group to open the process earlier, said Dr. Ned Calonge, head of the panel.
Also Monday, the Annals of Internal Medicine published a review done for the task force of the latest research on screening methods, bone-building drugs and tools to calculate one's risk of low bone density and fractures.
Since the 2002 advice, a number of new osteoporosis drugs have been released and heavily advertised, such as Genentech's Boniva, promoted by actress Sally Field.
Osteoporosis weakens bones and leads to painful and crippling fractures primarily in the hip, spine and wrist. In women, it's mostly caused by a drop in bone-strengthening estrogen after menopause. The government estimates that 10 million Americans have the disease and half of all women will suffer an osteoporosis bone break in her lifetime.
The task force used a Web-based risk calculator called FRAX — http://www.shef.ac.uk/FRAX — that estimates one's odds of a fracture within 10 years. It shows women as young as 50 may meet the threshold for a bone test depending on their risk factors, the panel said.
A bone-mineral density X-ray is the one most frequently used tests to check for bone loss, and many women start getting the scans once they reach menopause. How frequently the checks are made varies. The task force said there's not enough evidence to say how often they should be done, but that a couple of years between tests are needed.
One large study found no advantage to repeating the test even after eight years, said Dr. Heidi Nelson, who led the scientific review done at the Oregon Evidence-based Practice Center at the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland.
"So we can really lay off a lot of these repeat screening tests," she said.
Other medical or advocacy groups support screening women over 65, and generally advise tests for younger women based on risk factors. The National Osteoporosis Foundation recommends screening men over 70; the American College of Physicians says doctors should check older men for risk factors.
Source: http://health.yahoo.net/news/s/ap/us_med_osteoporosis_screening
Screening speech may aid autism diagnosis - study
Washington (ANTARA News/Reuters) - A device may be able to automatically screen young children for autism based on how they talk, U.S. researchers said on Monday.
The small recorder fits into a child`s pocket and analyzes the words the child says during the day, and a software program evaluates how the child makes certain sounds.
A team of researchers led by Kimbrough Oller of the University of Memphis analyzed more than 3 million syllabic utterances, collected from almost 1,500 all-day recordings from 232 children aged 10 months to 4 years.
The program correctly identified an existing autism diagnosis 86 percent of the time. The analysis also predicted the age of a typically developing child, said the study
published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
"Although clinicians have been saying for many years that they think that autistic kids sound strange when they talk, there`s been no practical way to use vocalization as a part of the diagnostic or screening procedure in working with autism," said Oller, professor of audiology and speech-language pathology.
Oller identified the speech patterns the device analyzes and helped develop the screening method.
The tests were conducted in English, but Oller said the technique may apply to other languages. "It hasn`t actually been tried yet, but there`s every reason to think it should," he said.
Doctors now diagnose autism by testing children for a range of behavioral and speech issues including how much they talk by a certain age and whether they make eye contact with other people.
"Autism is a multi-factoral disorder and it has many behavioral dimensions to consider. And vocalization is clearly an important one," said Oller. "But I certainly don`t think it should be used exclusively."
Oller, who studies language learning and language evolution, has identified how the formation of different syllables changes during a child`s first four years.
Instead of saying "ba" as part of a longer word, for instance, a young child might at first say "ba-a," with "sort of a staccato or tremor kind of pattern," said Oller. The
speech development of autistic children does not follow those typical patterns, the analysis shows.
The software distinguishes among speakers and processes sounds made only by the child being studied. The day-length recordings enable the researchers to examine a child`s natural speech.
Parents send the recorder back to the company after the child has worn it for a day and the company analyzes the recording for language development progress and autism.
Infoture Inc developed the device and the software. The company dissolved in February 2009 and was reconstituted as the LENA Foundation, a not-for-profit organization, which continues to fund the research. The foundation sells the device along with clothing with a pocket to hold the recorder.
Oller received consultation fees from Infoture before it dissolved and several of the other researchers are employees of the LENA Foundation. (*)
http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/1279618857/screening-speech-may-aid-autism-diagnosis-study
The small recorder fits into a child`s pocket and analyzes the words the child says during the day, and a software program evaluates how the child makes certain sounds.
A team of researchers led by Kimbrough Oller of the University of Memphis analyzed more than 3 million syllabic utterances, collected from almost 1,500 all-day recordings from 232 children aged 10 months to 4 years.
The program correctly identified an existing autism diagnosis 86 percent of the time. The analysis also predicted the age of a typically developing child, said the study
published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
"Although clinicians have been saying for many years that they think that autistic kids sound strange when they talk, there`s been no practical way to use vocalization as a part of the diagnostic or screening procedure in working with autism," said Oller, professor of audiology and speech-language pathology.
Oller identified the speech patterns the device analyzes and helped develop the screening method.
The tests were conducted in English, but Oller said the technique may apply to other languages. "It hasn`t actually been tried yet, but there`s every reason to think it should," he said.
Doctors now diagnose autism by testing children for a range of behavioral and speech issues including how much they talk by a certain age and whether they make eye contact with other people.
"Autism is a multi-factoral disorder and it has many behavioral dimensions to consider. And vocalization is clearly an important one," said Oller. "But I certainly don`t think it should be used exclusively."
Oller, who studies language learning and language evolution, has identified how the formation of different syllables changes during a child`s first four years.
Instead of saying "ba" as part of a longer word, for instance, a young child might at first say "ba-a," with "sort of a staccato or tremor kind of pattern," said Oller. The
speech development of autistic children does not follow those typical patterns, the analysis shows.
The software distinguishes among speakers and processes sounds made only by the child being studied. The day-length recordings enable the researchers to examine a child`s natural speech.
Parents send the recorder back to the company after the child has worn it for a day and the company analyzes the recording for language development progress and autism.
Infoture Inc developed the device and the software. The company dissolved in February 2009 and was reconstituted as the LENA Foundation, a not-for-profit organization, which continues to fund the research. The foundation sells the device along with clothing with a pocket to hold the recorder.
Oller received consultation fees from Infoture before it dissolved and several of the other researchers are employees of the LENA Foundation. (*)
http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/1279618857/screening-speech-may-aid-autism-diagnosis-study
Chemistry teacher claims to have found anti-cancer tree species
Cimahi, W Java (ANTARA News) - A chemistry lecturer at Jenderal Achmad Yani (Unjani) University, Valentina Adimurti, claims to have discovered a tree species with medicinal properties that could be used to fight cancer.
The anticancer properties, she said, were to be found in the bark of the Hopea odorata tree, a genus of the Dipterocarpaceae family which is widely available in Indonesia.
She had succeeded in isolating the methanol extract from the Hopea odorata`s bark in three oligomeric stilbene compounds. The structure of the compounds was analyzed through the spectroscopic method, including UV, IR and 1HNMR and by comparison to the standard compound.
"Two of the isolated compounds proved to have the ability to eliminate leuekemia P-388 murine cancer cells, while one of the compounds showed strong cytotoxic properties," Valentina said.
In addition, the compounds were antibacterial and effective against fungi like Staphylococcus aureus, Propionic Sp and candida albicans. While the other isolated compound had the ability to neutralize bacteria like S.aureus and Propionis Sp, fungi like C albicans and worked as antioxidants against DPPH.
"The merits of my discovery have been recognized and are now in the process of being patented. Eventually, I will package extracts from the tree bark in capsules for use by the community," she said.
For those who want to try the Hopea odorata`s medicinal effect, Valentina suggested to find the tree, take pieces from its bark and boil them in water, and then drink the liquid.
Valentina said that the Hopea odorata`s antimicrobial qualities also made extracts from its bark useful as a cosmetic to reduce acne, while its anti microbial properties could also be used as herbicide antidote for fungi in some plant types.
Based on her research on several Dipterocarpaceae species, it was now known that the chemical compounds commonly found in this plant are terpenoids, phenylpropanoid, flavonoid, benzofuran derivatives and phenolic acids, and resveratrol oligomer.
"Considering Indonesia`s natural richness such as the various species of Dipterocarpaceae plants, a lot of research must be done constantly and continuously to explore the chemical compounds they posses through biological activity tests," she added. (*)
Source: http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/1279759793/chemistry-teacher-claims-to-have-found-anti-cancer-tree-species
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)