Saturday, 26 November 2016
Friday, 22 July 2016
How To Give Up Smoking WATCH THIS >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
It's easy to quit smoking; I've done it hundreds of times." -- Mark Twain
There are many different ways to give up smoking. Some experts advocate using pharmacological products to help wean you off nicotine, others say all you need is a good counselor and support group, or an organized program. To add to the confusion, you may find there is a study that says this way works better than that one, and then when you look again, you find there is another study that says, no, that one works better than this one.
But one thing most experts agree on is that a combination works best. For example, nicotine replacement therapy on its own, or counseling on its own is not as effective as a combination of the two.
Thursday, 14 July 2016
With more young people in the world than ever before, Monday's World Population Day focuses on why we need to invest in teenage girls. Girls around the world face enormous challenges. Many are considered by their communities or parents to be ready for marriage and motherhood. Many are forced from school, damaging their future prospects. Yet with proper investment in their education and health, girls can transform their countries' economies and futures.
New strategies to end violence against childrenelp us change this statistic: Every five minutes a child dies as a result of violence. Today we helped launch a new partnership & fund to make ending violence against children a priority.
12 JULY 2016 - WHO and partners today launch 7 interlinked strategies to reduce violence against children. The approaches have all been tested and all have shown concrete results. By bringing them together, WHO hopes to dramatically reduce instances of violence against children.
Over the past year, up to 1 billion children have experienced physical, sexual or psychological violence, according to a recent study published in “Pediatrics”. Homicide is among the top 5 causes of death for adolescents. 1 in 4 children suffer physical abuse, and nearly 1 in 5 girls are sexually abused at least once in their lives.
The 7 strategies highlighted in the “INSPIRE” package are:
- Implementation and enforcement of laws: such as those limiting access by young people to firearms and other weapons (South Africa) and those criminalizing the violent punishment of children by parents (many European countries).
- Norms and values: by changing beliefs and behaviours around gender roles (India, South Africa, Uganda and the United States).
- Safe environments: by targeting violent “hotspots” and enhancing the built environment, for example, by improving housing (Colombia, United Kingdom, and the United States).
- Parent and caregiver support: such as the provision of training in parenting (Kenya, Liberia, Myanmar, South Africa, Thailand, and the United States).
- Income and economic strengthening: including microfinance combined with training around gender norms (Afghanistan, Cote d’Ivoire, South Africa, Uganda, and the United States).
- Response and support services: such as treatment programmes for juvenile offenders (many European countries and the United States).
- Education and life skills: for example, establishing a safe school environment and improving children’s life and social skills (China, Croatia, South Africa, Uganda, and the United States).
“Knowledge about the extent and harms of violence against children is growing, together with evidence about effective strategies for prevention”, notes Dr Etienne Krug, Director at WHO. “Now we need to build on that knowledge to work collectively to create the safe, stable, and nurturing environments that protect children and adolescents from violent harm.”
Wednesday, 18 May 2016
How To Chat With Whatsapp On PC Using Firefox, Opera And Chrome Browsers - Phones - NairalandOpen Whatsapp on your phone, go to menu and tap "Whatsapp Web" Then adjust your phone to scan the QR code on your web browser. If successfully scanned, you are good to go. Happy Chatting!!! wink wink wink wink
7 Things You Never Knew You Could Do With Whatsapp - Phones - NairalandRemember text messages? Those little 160 character SMS packages of joy? The “vvvrrrfff-vvvrrrff” of your phone, accompanied by a little pixelated envelope? As of 2009, Whatsapp has been doing its utmost to see the world shift from the Short Message Service to its streamlined app. The world sends over 30 billion messages a day with it, along with some 200 million photos – and now people are making phone calls through it. It’s one of the largest uses of phone data packages across the globe. And yet, we bet you didn’t know it could do all this… Send a broadcast list Sure, you’ve got group chats for talking to your football team/work colleagues/Dungeons & Dragons group – but there are times when you might want to send a message to a bunch of people without having to add them to a conversation Fun. That’s why Whatsapp has Broadcast List – a function that allows you to send the same message to a list of contacts. “Meal starts at 7pm/Game kicks off at 3pm/Don’t forget to bring your robes”, that sort of thing. From the Chats screen, on Android you’ll want to hit the Menu button (three dots) and select New broadcast. On iOS, there’s an option for Broadcast Lists at the top of the chat screen. Add the contacts you want to receive the message (it’ll only work if they’ve got your number on their phone, mind), write the message and bosh – mass communication without the need for a group.
Sunday, 15 May 2016
Saturday, 14 May 2016
Eating processed foodsProcessed foods aren't just microwave meals and other ready meals. The term 'processed food' applies to any food that has been altered from its natural state in some way, either for safety reasons or convenience. This means you may be eating more processed food than you realise. Processed foods aren't necessarily unhealthy, but anything that’s been processed may contain added salt, sugar and fat. One advantage of cooking food from scratch at home is that you know exactly what is going into it, including the amount of added salt or sugar. However, even homemade food sometimes uses processed ingredients. Read on to find out how you can eat processed foods as part of a healthy diet. What counts as processed food? Most shop-bought foods will have been processed in some way. Examples of common processed foods include: breakfast cereals cheese tinned vegetables bread savoury snacks, such as crisps meat products, such as bacon "convenience foods", such as microwave meals or ready meals drinks, such as milk or soft drinks Food processing techniques include freezing, canning, baking, drying and pasteurising products. Dietitian Sian Porter says: "Not all processed food is a bad choice. Some foods need processing to make them safe, such as milk, which needs to be pasteurised to remove harmful bacteria. Other foods need processing to make them suitable for use, such as pressing seeds to make oil. "Freezing fruit and veg preserves most vitamins, while tinned produce (choose those without added sugar and salt) can mean convenient storage, cooking and choice to eat all year round, with less waste and cost than fresh."
Nutrition labels on the back or side of packaging Nutrition labels are often displayed as a panel or grid on the back or side of packaging. For example, the image below shows the nutrition label on a loaf of white bread. This type of label includes information on energy (kJ/kcal), fat, saturates (saturated fat), carbohydrate, sugars, protein and salt. It may also provide additional information on certain nutrients, such as fibre. All nutrition information is provided per 100 grams and sometimes per portion.
Top sources of added sugar in our dietFrom cola, chocolate and ketchup to beer, yoghurt and soup, find out where most of the added sugar in our diet lurks. "Added sugar", such as table sugar, honey and syrups, should not make up more than 5% of the total energy we get from food and drink each day. This is around 30g a day of added sugar for anyone aged 11 and older. But the National Diet and Nutrition Survey reveals Britons are having far too much, especially children aged 11 to 18 years – 15% of their daily calories are from added sugar. "Sugar is sugar," says dietitian Catherine Collins. "Whether it's white, brown, unrefined sugar, molasses or honey, don't kid yourself: there is no such thing as a healthy sugar." If you want to cut down on sugar, get used to reading food labels, comparing products, and choosing lower-sugar or sugar-free versions. Sugar comes in many guises on food labels, including: corn sugar dextrose fructose glucose high-fructose glucose syrup honey maple syrup agave syrup invert sugar isoglucose levulose maltose molasses sucrose Below are the six main sources of added sugar in the British diet according to the National Diet and Nutrition Survey, with examples of some of the main sweet offenders. Sugar, preserves and confectionery Up to 27% of our daily intake of added sugar Choc horror! Britons have a sweet tooth. A large chunk of the added sugar in our daily diet (up to 27%) comes from table sugar, jams, chocolate and sweets, with chocolate regularly voted Britain's favourite sweet treat. Sugar intake is highest among children aged 11 to 18 years. Sweet offenders: chocolate spread (57.1g of total sugar per 100g) plain chocolate (62.6g/100g) fruit pastilles (59.3g/100g) Non-alcoholic drinks 25% of our daily intake of added sugar Perhaps the most surprising source, nearly a quarter (25%) of the added sugar in our diet comes from soft drinks, fruit juice, and other non-alcoholic drinks. The levels are even higher among children aged 11 to 18 years, who get 40% of their added sugar from drinks – mainly soft drinks, such as cola. A 500ml bottle of cola contains the equivalent of 17 cubes of sugar. Perhaps more surprising, 100% pure unsweetened fruit juice is high in the type of sugars we need to cut down on. This is because the juicing process releases the sugars contained in the fruit, meaning they can damage our teeth. That said, fruit juice still contains vitamins and minerals, so one glass (150ml) of unsweetened 100% fruit juice counts as one of your 5 A DAY. To reduce the risk of tooth decay, fruit juice is best enjoyed at mealtimes. Children should avoid sugary drinks and swap to water, lower-fat milks, and diet, sugar-free and no-added sugar drinks. Sweet offenders: cola (10.9g/100ml) squash cordials (24.6g/100ml) sweetened fruit juice (9.8g/100ml) Biscuits, buns and cakes 20% of our daily intake of added sugar Britain is a nation of "grazers", preferring to fill up on something that's quick and comforting, but often high in sugar and fat, such as buns, pastries, biscuits, and other cereal-based foods. While cereal-based products, especially wholegrains, form part of a healthy balanced diet, try to cut down on varieties high in sugar and fat, which can increase the risk of tooth decay and contribute to weight gain if eaten in excess. Sweet offenders: iced cakes (54g/100g) chocolate-coated biscuits (45.8g/100g) frosted corn flakes (37g/100g) Alcoholic drinks 11% of our daily intake of added sugar Some people are unaware of the sugar content in alcohol and don't include booze when calculating their daily calorie intake. Alcohol contains more calories (7kcal/g) than carbohydrates or protein (4kcal/g). A standard glass of wine (175ml, 12% ABV, 126kcal) can contain as many calories as a piece of chocolate. Tips on cutting down: have a few alcohol-free days each week try lower-alcohol drinks have a smaller bottle of beer instead of a can use sugar-free mixers swap every other drink for a water or sugar-free soft drink For more advice, read about calories in alcohol and get some tips on cutting down. Dairy products 6% of our daily intake of added sugar Dairy products like cheese and yoghurt form part of a healthy balanced diet. But some dairy products, such as flavoured milks, yoghurts and dairy-based desserts like ice cream, contain added sugar. Sweet offenders: fruit yoghurt (16.6g/100g) fruit fromage frais (13.3g/100g) choc ice (20.5g/100g) Savoury food 5% of our daily intake of added sugar Sugar is also found in surprisingly large amounts in many savoury foods, such as stir-in sauces, ketchup, salad cream, ready meals, marinades, chutneys, and crisps. A study by Which? found some ready meals had more sugar content than vanilla ice cream. Sweet offenders: tomato ketchup (27.5g/100g) stir-in sweet and sour sauce (20.2g/100g) salad cream (16.7g/100g)
How to cut down on sugar in your dietWe Britons really do eat too much sugar: 700g of the sweet stuff a week. That's an average of 140 teaspoons per person. Added sugars, such as table sugar, honey and syrups, shouldn't make up more than 5% of the energy you get from food and drink each day. That's about 30g a day for anyone aged 11 and older. Below are some simple tips to help you gradually cut down on the amount of added sugar in your diet: Sugar's many names Breakfast Main meals Snacks Drinks Dessert Sugar's many guises There are lots of different ways added sugar can be listed on ingredients labels: sucrose glucose fructose maltose fruit juice molasses hydrolysed starch invert sugar corn syrup honey Nutrition labels tell you how much sugar a food contains: high in sugar – 22.5g or more of total sugar per 100g low in sugar – 5g or less of total sugar per 100g Some packaging uses a colour-coded system that makes it easy to choose foods that are lower in sugar, salt and fat. Look for more "greens" and "ambers", and fewer "reds", in your shopping basket. Breakfast Many breakfast cereals are high in sugar. Try switching to lower-sugar cereals or those with no added sugar, such as: plain porridge plain wholewheat cereal biscuits plain shredded wholegrain pillows Swapping a bowl of sugary breakfast cereal for plain cereal could cut out 70g of sugar (up to 22 sugar cubes) from your diet over a week. Porridge oats are cheap and contain vitamins, minerals and fibre. Make porridge with semi-skimmed, 1% or skimmed milk, or water. If you usually add sugar to your porridge, try adding a few chopped dried apricots or a sliced or mashed banana instead. Or you could try our apple-pie porridge recipe. For a more gradual approach, you could eat sugary cereals and plain cereals on alternate days, or mix both in the same bowl. If you add sugar to your cereal, you could try adding less. Or you could eat a smaller portion and add some chopped fruit, such as a pear or banana, which is an easy way of getting some of your 5 A DAY. Read our guide to choosing healthy breakfast cereals. If toast is your breakfast staple, try wholemeal or granary bread, which is higher in fibre than white bread, and see if you can get by with a little less of your usual spreads like jam, marmalade, honey or chocolate. Or you could try sugar-free or lower-sugar options. Main meals Many foods that we don't consider to be sweet contain a surprisingly large amount of sugar. Some ready-made soups, stir-in sauces and ready meals can also be higher in sugar than you think. A third of an average-sized jar of pasta sauce (roughly 150g) can contain more than 13g of sugar, including added sugar – the equivalent of three teaspoons of sugar. When eating out or buying takeaways, watch out for dishes that are typically high in sugar, such as sweet and sour dishes, sweet chilli dishes and some curry sauces, as well as salads with dressings like salad cream, which can also be high in sugar. Condiments and sauces such as ketchup can have as much as 23g of sugar in 100g – roughly half a teaspoon per serving. These foods are usually served in small quantities, but the sugar count can add up if eaten every day. Get tips on making healthier choices when buying takeaway food and eating out. Snacks Healthier snack options are those without added sugar, such as fruit (fresh, tinned or frozen), unsalted nuts, unsalted rice cakes, oatcakes, or homemade plain popcorn. For more ideas, check out these quick and easy 100-calorie snacks. If you're not ready to give up your favourite flavours, you could start by having less. Instead of two biscuits in one sitting, try having one. If your snack has two bars, have one and share the other, or save it for another day. If you're an "all-or-nothing" type person, you could find something to do to take your mind off food on some days of the week. When shopping, look out for lower-sugar (and lower-fat) versions of your favourite snacks. Buy smaller packs, or skip the family bags and just go for the normal-sized one instead. Here are some lower-calorie substitutes for popular snacks: cereal bars – despite their healthy image, many cereal bars can be high in sugar and fat. Look out for bars that are lower in sugar, fat and salt. Or try this fruity granola bar recipe to make your own. chocolate – swap for a lower-calorie hot instant chocolate drink. You can also get chocolate with coffee and chocolate with malt varieties. biscuits – swap for oatcakes, oat biscuits, or unsalted rice cakes, which also provide fibre. cakes – swap for a plain currant bun, fruit scone, or malt loaf. If you add toppings or spreads, use them sparingly or choose lower-fat and lower-sugar varieties. Dried fruit, such as raisins, dates and apricots, is high in sugar and can be bad for your dental health because it sticks to your teeth. To prevent tooth decay, dried fruit is best enjoyed at mealtimes – as part of a dessert, for example – rather than as a snack. Drinks Nearly a quarter of the added sugar in our diets comes from sugary drinks, such as fizzy drinks, sweetened juices, squashes, and cordials. A 500ml bottle of cola contains the equivalent of 17 cubes of sugar. Try sugar-free varieties, or – better yet – water, lower-fat milk, or soda water with a splash of fruit juice. If you take sugar in tea or coffee, gradually reduce the amount until you can cut it out altogether, or try swapping to sweeteners instead. Try some new flavours with herbal teas, or make your own with hot water and a slice of lemon or ginger. Like some fizzy drinks, fruit juice can be high in sugar. When juice is extracted from the whole fruit to make fruit juice, sugar is released, and this can damage our teeth. Limit your intake of fruit juice or smoothies to 150ml a day. However, fruit juices do contain vitamins and minerals, and a 150ml glass of unsweetened 100% fruit or vegetable juice counts as one of your 5 A DAY. You could try flavouring water with a slice of lemon, lime, or a splash of fruit juice. But watch out for the sugar content in flavoured water drinks: a 500ml glass of some brands contains 15g of sugar, the equivalent of nearly four teaspoons of sugar. Dessert Work out some ground rules. Do you need to have dessert every day? How about only having dessert after your evening meal, or only eating dessert on odd days of the month, or only on weekends, or only at restaurants? Do you have to have chocolate, biscuits, and cake every day? If you had this type of sugary snack less often, would you actually enjoy it more? Less sugary desserts include fruit – fresh, frozen, dried, or tinned, but choose those canned in juice rather than syrup – as well as lower-fat and lower-sugar rice pudding, and plain lower-fat yoghurt. However, lower fat doesn't necessarily mean low sugar. Some lower-fat yoghurts can be sweetened with refined sugar, fruit juice concentrate, glucose, and fructose syrup. If you're stuck between choosing two desserts at the supermarket, why not compare the labels on both packages and go for the one with the lower amount of sugar.
see how Cancer, Detection & Treatment
How can cancer be detected early?
In many cases, the sooner cancer is diagnosed and treated, the better a person's chance for a full recovery. If you develop cancer, you can improve the chance that it will be detected early if you have regular medical checkups and do certain self-exams. Often a doctor can find early cancer during a physical exam or with routine tests, even if a person has no symptoms. Some important medical exams, tests, and self-exams are discussed on the next pages. The doctor may suggest other exams for people who are at increased risk for cancer.
Ask your doctor about your cancer risk, problems to watch for, and a schedule of regular checkups. The doctor's advice will be based on your age, medical history, family history, and other risk factors. The doctor also can help you learn about self-exams. (More information and free booklets about self-exams are available from the National Cancer Institute's Cancer Information Service).
Many local health departments have information about cancer screening or early detection programs. The Cancer Information Service also can tell you about such programs.
Exams For Both Men And Women
Skin - The doctor should examine your skin during regular checkups for signs of skin cancer. You should also check regularly for new growths, sores that do not heal, changes in the size, shape, or color of any moles, or any other changes on the skin. Warning signs like these should be reported to the doctor right away.
Colon and Rectum - Beginning at age 50, you should have a yearly fecal occult blood test. This test is a check for hidden (occult) blood in the stool. A small amount of stool is placed on a plastic slide or on special paper. It may be tested in the doctor's office or sent to a lab. This test is done because cancer of the colon and rectum can cause bleeding. However, noncancerous conditions can also cause bleeding, so having blood in the stool does not necessarily mean a person has cancer. If blood is found, the doctor orders more tests to help make a diagnosis.
To check for cancer of the rectum, the doctor inserts a gloved finger into the rectum and feels for any bumps or abnormal areas. A digital rectal exam should be done during regular checkups.
After age 50, you should have either a flexible sigmoidoscopy every five years, or acolonoscopy every 10 years. In this exam, the doctor uses a thin, flexible tube with a light to look inside the rectum and colon for abnormal areas.
Mouth - Your doctor and dentist should examine your mouth at regular visits. Also, by looking in a mirror, you can check inside your mouth for changes in the color of the lips, gums, tongue, or inner cheeks, and for scabs, cracks, sores, white patches, swelling, or bleeding. It is often possible to see or feel changes in the mouth that might be cancer or a condition that might lead to cancer. Any symptoms in your mouth should be checked by a doctor or dentist. Oral exams are especially important for people who use alcohol or tobacco products and for anyone over age 50.
Exams For Men
Prostate - Men over age 40 should have a yearly digital rectal exam to check the prostate gland for hard or lumpy areas. The doctor feels the prostate through the wall of the rectum.
Testicles - Testicular cancer occurs most often between ages 15 and 34. Most of these cancers are found by men themselves, often by doing a testicular self-exam. If you find a lump or notice another change, such as heaviness, swelling, unusual tenderness, or pain, you should see your doctor. Also, the doctor should examine the testicles as part of regular medical checkups.
Exams For Women
Breast - When breast cancer is found early, a woman has more treatment choices and a good chance of complete recovery. It is, therefore, important that breast cancer be detected as early as possible. The National Cancer Institute encourages women to take an active part in early detection. They should talk to their doctor about this disease, the symptoms to watch for, and an appropriate schedule of checkups. Women should ask their doctor about:
- Mammograms (x-rays of the breast);
- Breast exams by a doctor or nurse; and
- Breast self-examination (BSE)
A mammogram can often show tumors or changes in the breast before they can be felt or cause symptoms. However, we know mammograms cannot find every abnormal area in the breast. This is especially true in the breasts of young women. Another important step in early detection is for women to have their breasts examined regularly by a doctor or a nurse.
Between visits to the doctor, women should examine their breasts every month. By doing BSE, women learn what looks and feels normal for their breasts, and they are more likely to find a change. Any changes should be reported to the doctor. Most breast lumps are not cancer, but only a doctor can make a diagnosis.
Cervix - Regular pelvic exams and Pap tests are important to detect early cancer of the cervix. In a pelvic exam, the doctor feels the uterus, vagina, ovaries, fallopian tubes, bladder, and rectum for any change in size or shape.
For the Pap test, a sample of cells is collected from the upper vagina and cervix with a small brush or a flat wooden stick. The sample is placed in a glass slide and checked under a microscope for cancer or other abnormal cells.
Women should start having a Pap test every year after they turn 18 or become sexually active. If the results are normal for 3 or more years in a row, a woman may have this test less often, based on her doctor's advice.
Leukemia this is the cancer of the blood see the symtom of it
- Leukemia is a cancer of blood cells (and therefore sometimes referred to as bloodcancer).
- While the exact cause(s) of leukemia is not known, risk factors have been identified, including radiation exposure and exposure to benzene.
- Common symptoms of chronic or acute leukemia may include
- pain in the bones or joints,
- swollen lymph nodes that usually don't hurt,
- fevers or night sweats,
- feeling weak or tired,
- bleeding and bruising easily,
- frequent infections,
- discomfort or swelling in the abdomen,
- weight loss or loss of appetite.
- Leukemias are grouped by how quickly the disease develops (acute or chronic) as well as by the type of blood cell that is affected (lymphocytes or myelocytes). The four main types of leukemia include acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), acute myelocytic leukemia (AML), and chronic myelocytic leukemia (CML).
- People with leukemia are at significantly increased risk for developing infections, anemia, and bleeding. Other symptoms and signs include easy bruising,weight loss, night sweats, and unexplained fevers.
- The diagnosis of leukemia is supported by findings of the medical history and examination, and examining blood and bone marrow samples under a microscope.
- Treatment of leukemia depends on the type of leukemia, certain features of the leukemia cells, the extent of the disease, and prior history of treatment, as well as the age and health of the patient.
- Most patients with leukemia are treated with chemotherapy. Some patients also may have radiation therapy and/or bone marrow transplantation.
- There is no known way to prevent leukemia.
- The prognosis of leukemia depends upon several factors, including the patient's age, the type of leukemia, and the extent to which the cancer has spread.
What are the different types of cancer?see this this
There are over 200 types of cancer; far too numerous to include in this introductory article. However, the NCI lists several general categories (see list in first section of this article). This list is expanded below to list more specific types of cancers found in each general category; it is not all inclusive and the cancers listed in quotes are the general names of some cancers:
- Carcinoma: Cancer that begins in the skin or in tissues that line or cover internal
organs -- "skin, lung, colon, pancreatic, ovarian cancers," epithelial, squamous and basal cell carcinomas, melanomas, papillomas, and adenomas - Sarcoma: Cancer that begins in bone, cartilage, fat, muscle, blood vessels, or other connective or supportive tissue -- "bone, soft tissue cancers," osteosarcoma, synovial sarcoma, liposarcoma, angiosarcoma, rhabdosarcoma, and fibrosarcoma
- Leukemia: Cancer that starts in blood-forming tissue such as the bone marrow and causes large numbers of abnormal blood cells to be produced and enter the
blood -- "leukemia," lymphoblastic leukemias (ALL and CLL), myelogenous leukemias
There are three main types of cell where cancer develops
- Epithelial cells. Cancers that develop in this type of cell are called carcinomas. ...
- Cells of the blood and lymphatic system. Cancers that develop in this type of cell are called leukaemias and lymphomas. ...
- Connective tissue cells.
Saving lives for those getting trible with cancerCancers and stroke are two leading life-threatening medical conditions nowadays. Millions of lives could be saved with PolyU’s research on highly stable biotech anti-cancer drugs, inhibitors that overcome cancer drug resistance as well as an intelligence system that can detect strokes.
Key Statistics of oxford university19,919 Students 11.6 Student:Staff Ratio 34% International Students 46 : 54 Female:Male Ratio
- 19,919Students
- 11.6Student:Staff Ratio
- 34%International Students
- 46 : 54Female:Male Ratio
Top 5 universities in the UK
One of the most prestigious universities in the world, and one of the oldest, the University of Oxford attracts top scholars and students to its 44 colleges and halls. Entry standards are high and admissions are competitive; in 2015 there were 18,000 undergraduate applications for only 3,200 places, and 24,000 postgraduate applications for 5,200 places.
As is common in the UK, the university offers a number of joint honours programmes that combine two subjects at an undergraduate level. In total, there are 250 different undergraduate degree combinations. The combination of politics, philosophy and economics is a particularly prestigious degree course on offer, although it is not now unique to theUniversity of Oxford.
Undergraduates and postgraduates belong to a college and often live in the college building or college-owned accommodation. Social life and recreational activities – such as rowing, cultural events and shared-interest societies – also revolve around the college. Undergraduate students are taught almost exclusively by tutors in their college, while postgraduate students are primarily served academically by a centralised faculty.
There are more than 100 libraries in Oxford, the most famous of which is the Bodleian, built in 1602. The small town also boasts a number of museums, including the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, which houses the remains of a dodo, and the Museum of the History of Science, which displays a blackboard used by Albert Einstein.
More than 30 world leaders, 26 British prime ministers, 26 Nobel prizewinners and more than 120 Olympic medallists were educated at Oxford. Stephen Hawking, Hugh Grant and Indira Ghandi are among the most famous alumni.
Within six months of graduating from the university, 95 per cent of Oxford students are in employment or further study.
2. University of Cambridge
Like Oxford, the University of Cambridge is fundamentally collegiate, and is also one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in the world. The small town is based just an hour’s drive away from London.
The university is home to more than 18,000 students and 9,000 staff members. There are 31 colleges, some of which date back to the 13th century, and more than 100 academic departments.
Cambridge is particularly renowned for excellence in mathematics, and has educated some of the most famous British scientists throughout history. In total there have been 92 Nobel prizes awarded to academics affiliated to the university, and Cambridge-affiliated mathematicians have won a number of Fields Medals.
Getting a place at the university as an undergraduate is extremely competitive; the acceptance rate is less than 25 per cent and more than half of rejected candidates go on to receive A grades for all their final school exams.
Undergraduate students are taught in lectures and supervisions – intimate tutorials with only a couple of other students at most. The workload is heavy but terms are shorter than at many other universities in the UK.
Cambridge libraries are home to extensive collections of medieval manuscripts, and the university museums display collections of archaeological artefacts and zoological specimens.
Notable graduates of Cambridge include actors, politicians, royals, sportsmen and sportswomen and cultural figures.
3. Imperial College London
Imperial College London is consistently ranked as one of the best universities in the world for science, technology, engineering, medicine and business.
It was formed in 1907 from a merger of three colleges in London, and now has 14,700 students and 8,000 staff. The student cohort is extremely international in composition, and currently comprises over 125 nationalities.
In addition to top scientists, Fields medallists and Nobel prizewinners, Imperial also produces influential government advisers and policymakers. Many graduates go on to make breakthrough innovations in industry and business, and are highly sought after by blue-chip companies and start-ups.
Imperial College London is based next to Kensington Palace in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, with other campuses around the city.
The author H. G. Wells is among the famous alumni of Imperial College London, as is Sir Liam Donaldson, head physician to the Queen.
4. University College London
University College London (UCL) was the first university in England to admit students irrespective of class, race or religion, and the first to admit women on equal terms with men, following the educational philosophy of Jeremy Bentham – the university’s “spiritual founder”.
It is one of the most selective British universities, ranking highly in college league tables, and it is thought to produce some of the most employable graduates.
UCL’s main campus is in the central London area of Bloomsbury.
For undergraduate admission, candidates generally have all A grades at A level or a grade equivalent of 6, 6, 6 on higher level subjects in the International Baccalaureate. The most competitive degree is the BSc in philosophy, politics and economics, which receives 30 applicants for every place.
Close to half of all UCL students are from outside the UK, with significantly more from Asia than from continental Europe. Famous alumni include Mahatma Gandhi; Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone; and Coldplay’s Chris Martin, who met other members of his band at the university.
5. London School of Economics and Political Science
Of all UK universities, the London School of Economics and Political Science(LSE) has the highest proportion of international students, at 70 per cent.
The university has particular strengths in law, economics, history, philosophy and politics. Currently, 26 per cent of all Nobel prizes for economics were awarded to alumni or affiliates of the LSE. Famously, economic theorists at the LSE have long disputed with theorists at Cambridge, particularly over solutions to economic problems in society.
LSE’s campus is in the historic Clare Market area, close to historic and important institutions including the Royal Courts of Justice, Lincoln’s Inn, the Royal College of Surgeons and the British Museum.
In 2014 the university received 17,000 undergraduate applications for 1,500 places. Like other top universities in the UK, the LSE generally requires entry standards of A grades or higher.
Many of the postgraduate courses, such as in those in economics, management and law, have an acceptance rate of less than 7 per cent.
Prominent cultural, political and academic figures have given public lectures at LSE, including Nelson Mandela and George Soros, as part of the university’s prestigious lecture series.
The main architect of the Indian constitution, B.R. Ambedkar, worked on a doctoral thesis at the London School of Economics while enrolled on the Bar course at Gray’s Inn in London.
Best universities in Europe 2016 Times Higher Education World University Rankings data reveal the top 200 universities in Europe
The UK has topped a ranking of the 200 best universities in Europe, taking nearly a quarter .
English universities to team up with councils to boost regions Hefce-funded project aims to drive economic growth and increase employment
University heads have teamed up with local councils on a project aimed at driving growth, redesigning public services and strengthening ties between local communities and higher education institutions.
The Leading Places Project, funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (Hefce), will be rolled out in numerous regions across the country later this month. The first tranche of pilots will be carried out in Gloucestershire, Manchester, Newcastle and Gateshead, Brighton and West Sussex, Bristol and Coventry/Warwickshire.
Under the scheme, vice-chancellors and council chief executives will meet to discuss local priorities with guidance from the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education. It is hoped the project will boost job prospects through university researchers identifying skills gaps, and new workers receiving training to fill them. Hefce and Universities UK will work with the Local Government Association (LGA) to help the pilots and evaluate their performance.
Madeleine Atkins, Hefce’s chief executive, said universities had a “key role to play as place makers” within local communities.
“They bring a wide range of expertise and research capability to apply to the challenges facing local government and their partners,” she said. “The Cities and Devolution Act opens up new forms of investment funding, and new opportunities to tackle the issues which affect people’s lives. Strong collaborative leadership will be more important than ever in driving these agendas.”
Research from the Leadership Foundation has highlighted the potential for universities to benefit their local communities, with numerous councils now looking to engage with them more actively.
“Cooperation with universities will give councils access to greater expertise and research opportunities,” said Mark Hawthorne, chairman of the LGA’s People and Places Board and leader of Gloucestershire County Council. “This is about applying local knowledge to solve problems as well as putting universities at the heart of creating local growth opportunities, innovation and skills.”
Nicola Dandridge, Universities UK chief executive, said the “deep roots” universities already had in their local area meant the project was an ideal opportunity to be “even more ambitious” about what can be achieved to benefit local people.
Each year, three diseases kill 5.4 million people worldwide
As epidemics ravage the third world, Fabià Gumbau-Brisa reports on the issues facing this week's G8 summit.
Each year, just three diseases kill 5.4 million people worldwide. Malaria kills at least 1 million, mainly in developing countries, with 90 per cent of deaths in Africa. Tuberculosis causes 1.9 million deaths a year, almost all of them in developing countries, where resistance to the five major anti-tubercular drugs is spreading. Some 400,000 of the tuberculosis victims are also HIV positive. The yearly death toll for HIV/Aids is almost 2.5 million, with about 1.8 million concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa. <?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"??>
Worldwide, 33 million people are currently infected with HIV/Aids: 30 million of them live in developing countries, 22 million in Africa. About 70 per cent of the almost 6 million annual infections occur in sub-Saharan Africa.
At last year's G8 Summit in Okinawa, the world's most influential states decided to confront the situation by setting some ambitious targets. By 2010, they committed to reducing the number of HIV-infected people by 25 per cent, cutting the number of tuberculosis deaths and cases by 50 per cent and reducing the burden of malaria-related disease by 50 per cent. This year's summit in Genoa (July 20-22) will give the G8 members an opportunity to review progress in what is clearly a daunting task.
But these epidemics are not restricted to the developing world. The evolution of tuberculosis cases in the United States since the 1980s shows that the spread of diseases in developing countries poses a significant health threat to richer countries. Some 22 per cent of US tuberculosis patients in 1986 and 39 per cent in 1997 were foreign-born. It is also conceivable that these epidemics could become a cause of unrest, damaging rich countries' economic and political interests. This could help to explain rich countries' willingness to address the issues.
Several governments and institutions, including the Gates Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, UNAids, the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation, and the International Aids Vaccine Initiative, are already taking action. Moreover, the US Congress is considering the introduction of substantial tax credits on sales of approved vaccines for infectious diseases responsible for more than 1 million annual deaths.
Britain's chancellor of the exchequer Gordon Brown remarked in February on the need for additional efforts to fight the spread of HIV/Aids, malaria and tuberculosis, outlining a series of policies designed to achieve that goal. A recent report by the Performance and Innovation Unit of the Cabinet Office makes the economic argument for taking action.
Based on a cost-effectiveness analysis, Tackling the Diseases of Poverty, clearly shows that, if the Okinawa targets are to be achieved, we need better products, such as vaccines that are targeted specifically at the needs of the poor. The report recommends the creation of a Global Health Fund divided into two sub-funds. The first would purchase existing health products such as drugs, condoms and bed nets. The second would be solely aimed at purchasing new products designed for poor countries - it is not clear, for example, that a vaccine against HIV strains common in the US and Europe would work against the most common African strain.
There is little financial incentive for drugs companies to generate products for developing countries, hence the scarcity of drugs to treat their diseases. The most efficient way to provide incentives would be to reward innovation directly. The fund would guarantee sufficient sales of new products, along the lines of the purchase pre-commitment plan outlined by Harvard University's Michael Kremer, thereby increasing the incentives for research into diseases of the poor.
The reason poor countries do not represent a sufficient market for pharmaceuticals companies is not only because they cannot afford to pay much for drugs or vaccines. They also lack adequate nutrition, education and infrastructures. If these were the only reasons, it would be difficult (and cynical) to privilege markets for pharmaceuticals over markets for these other factors. But there are other reasons that have been used to justify market intervention in the case of vaccines. First, people's willingness to pay for immunisation does not fully reflect its benefits to society. Immunisation does not just protect those being vaccinated, but also untold others who might come into contact with them.
Second, it is easier for people to assess the gains from treating a disease than from preventing it. Probability can be used to estimate the gains from immunisation, but, while the world's poor are not versed in this language, their willingness to pay for prevention will not fully take into account its benefits.
Governments, international institutions and non-governmental organisations to some extent lessen the scale of these problems through their role as major purchasers of health products for the poor. But there are other hurdles. First, fighting worldwide epidemics is a global public good. Finding a vaccine for HIV/Aids might save many lives in the UK, but would also benefit other countries. This means that there are few incentives for governments to take unilateral action. Second, innovation involves huge research and development costs. There needs to be the prospect of a reward.
The system of patents, trademarks and similar arrangements helps to protect innovators, providing a degree of market exclusivity so that they can recoup these costs. But institutional purchasers, the potential buyers of new health products for poor countries, have for a long time been trying to push down prices. As a result, innovators fear they will lose money if they invest in new products for the poor. According to some, public research could be the solution, but this has a chequered history, USAid's malaria vaccine programme in the 1980s being but one embarrassing example.
Finally, socio-political constraints on charging different prices in different markets might also have a negative effect on research incentives. Recent experience with drugs for treating HIV/Aids provides an excellent example. The price reductions for antiretroviral drugs obtained by several African countries have served to fuel attacks on Aids drugs prices in rich countries, especially the US.
This criticism might have increased the risk factors associated with investment in new products to fight HIV/Aids, eroding further incentives for new research. But Aids affects developing countries disproportionately, although rich countries' interest groups appear not to recognise this in their drive for "equal" treatment, a battle that they can at best win only on a temporary basis - since the economics of permanently reducing prices across the globe do not add up.
A purchase pre-commitment for future products would partially get around those problems by committing to purchase a predetermined number of units of a new health product at a preannounced price, for later distribution in developing countries. The price would depend on the product's proven effectiveness in tests in these countries.
Nevertheless, events such as the apparent collapse of the Kyoto protocol cast doubt on the feasibility of international coordinated action for the global good. The Kyoto case has lessons for any future international agreements to promote global health: either the international community enters into a binding commitment to reward and promote research into the diseases of poor countries, or the Okinawa targets will not be met. The only hope seems to be the creation of better products to combat communicable diseases. That is dependent on the commitments at the Genoa summit being binding.
We should not forget that, in addition to resources, innovation needs time. The shorter the period we have for finding new products, the higher the costs. The estimate for the cost to rich countries of reaching the Okinawa targets is more than £20 billion.
If the Genoa summit closes without any clear commitment on this front or if the anti-globalisation protesters distract from the meat of the debate and allow states off the hook, the world might have to wait another year. This will have a knock-on effect on the research bill. And, after such a costly wait, might there not then be pressure to abandon the targets altogether?
Fabià Gumbau-Brisa is a PhD candidate in the department of economics atHarvard University.
Apple and raisin oat crumble they used to treat diseses and keep your healyh good Method Peel and core the apples, and cut into chunks. Melt the butter in a medium sized pot, then add the apple chunks. Toss to coat in the butter, then cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the raisins, caramel sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg and stir well. Cook for a further 10-12 minutes, stirring regularly, until the apple chunks are soft but still have some bite. Remove from the heat and set aside. Preheat your oven to 190°C. Prepare the crumble topping. Place the flour, caramel sugar, oats and butter together in a bowl. Use your fingertips to rub the ingredients together. The mixture will be dry at first, but continue to rub until the butter coats the dry ingredients and the mixture starts to clump together. Divide the cooked apple between 6 small ramekins. Do the same with the crumble mixture, sprinkling on top of the apple. Place the ramekins on a tray and bake for 25-30 minutes until the crumble starts to colour. While the crumbles bake you can prepare your custard. Whisk the egg yolks and castor sugar together until creamy. Whisk in the flour. Place the milk in a saucepan over a medium heat and heat just until boiling point. Remove from the heat and carefully add half of the milk to the egg mixture while whisking continuously. Then add the egg-milk mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining milk and heat slowly while whisking. Continue to cook until the custard has thickened. Stir in the vanilla paste then transfer to a warm jug. Allow the cooked apple crumbles to stand for a few minutes before serving with fresh vanilla custard.
With vanilla custard, this is a heavenly combination.
Image by:
Recipe from:
04 September 2014
Preparation time: 20 min
Cooking time: 50 min
Preparation time: 20 min
Cooking time: 50 min
Ingredients
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1kgapples
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100gbutter
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60mlraisins
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60mlcaramel sugar
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1cinnamon
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1/4tspnutmeg
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CRUMBLE TOPPING:
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90gflour
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60gcaramel sugar
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30goats
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75gbutter, at room temperature
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VANILLA CUSTARD:
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2egg yolks
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40gcaster sugar
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2Tbsflour
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300mlmilk
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1/2tspvanilla paste
Uganda opposition leader charged with treason - lawyer Kampala - Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye was charged with treason on Friday at a court in the north-eastern Karamoja region where he was taken after his latest arrest, his lawyers said. Besigye has disputed President Yoweri Museveni's victory in February's election and has been under house arrest for much of the time since. He was arrested in the capital Kampala on Wednesday after staging his own swearing-in ceremony and whisked to Moroto, a town in the remote Karamoja region of the country. "We have been informed by police today that Besigye appeared in court in Moroto and was charged with treason," lawyer Erias Lukwago told AFP. Lukwago said his client was denied legal representation when charged with treason, and was remanded in custody until his next court appearance due on 25 May. "It's absurd because none of us was there to represent him," he said. Treason is a capital offence in Uganda, but the death penalty has not been carried out for years. Besigye was previously charged with treason in 2005, but the case against him was eventually dropped Police spokesperson Fred Enanga confirmed the latest case against Besigye, but was unable to provide any further details of the charges. A long-standing opponent of Museveni, Besigye has been frequently jailed, placed under house arrest, accused of both treason and rape, tear-gassed, beaten and hospitalised over the years. Museveni, 71, who has been in power for three decades, was declared winner of the February poll with 61% of the vote. He has rejected claims his victory was won through cheating and fraud. Museveni was sworn in for a fifth term in office on Thursday at an event attended by foreign heads of state and diplomats. He used the occasion to criticise the International Criminal Court (ICC) sparking a walk-out by diplomats from the US and European Union.
Viv, Siri Creator’s New AI Platform, Can Almost Think for Itselfag Kittlaus wants you to imagine buying a consumer electronic device in the near future. You take it out the box, plug it into the wall, unlock it with a biometric thumbprint, and then the device comes to life. “Hi, nice to meet you,” it says, before walking you through its setup via natural conversation. That scenario isn’t too far away, according to Kittlaus, who used today’s TechCrunch Disrupt in Brooklyn as part of a coming-out-party for Viv, a new voice-activated digital assistant. After three round of venture capital (VC) funding and more than a year in development, Viv is ready for primetime. Viv is an artificial intelligence (AI) platform that gives developers and hardware makers the ability to imbue any product or interface with a conversational user interface (UI). It’s AI that talks to you, but not in quite the same way as the machine-learning bots we’re beginning to see in chat interfaces from Facebook,Microsoft, and others. It’s less about intuitively surfacing relevant search results or product suggestions, and more about actually having a conversation with an app or device where the device is essentially thinking for itself. What went unsaid at Disrupt is that Viv is positioning itself as the next evolution of personal assistants like Cortana, Google Now, and yes, Siri. Kittlaus knows a thing or two about that; he’s the co-founder and former CEO of Siri, which Apple acquired for more than $200 million in 2010. The biggest benefit of the AI explosion is convenience for everyday users, he says. “AI will make mundane tasks easier to do, and approach user experience in a more personalized way. When you ask your app or device for something, you won’t have to explain every bit of detail each time. It starts to know you,” said Kittlaus. “Conversations are a natural way to interact with humans, and conversational UIs are just a more natural way to interact with your technology.” Viv Writes Its Own Code Kittlaus said the start-up will partner with manufacturers to get Viv up and running in embedded devices, along with giving developers the ability to integrate Viv into their mobile app or software through Viv-as-a-Platform. He gave the first-ever Viv demo (below), asking Viv in different variations of natural language about the weather in several locations on various days, booking a hotel room, paying a friend back through Venmo, and sending flower arrangements for Mother’s Day.
Friday, 15 April 2016
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