Latest Discovery: How Eating Banana Can Prevent HIV Infection

Your favorite oblong fruit might be even healthier than you realized. According to The Gazette (Montreal) newspaper, a new study has found that chemicals commonly found in bananas are as potent in preventing HIV as two synthetic anti-HIV drugs. 

 Researchers say the findings could lead to a cheap new component for applied microbicides that prevent intimate transmission of HIV. The miracle substance in bananas is called BanLec, a type of lectin, which are the sugar-binding proteins found in a variety of plants. 

Scientists have long been interested in lectins because of their ability to halt the chain reaction that leads to certain viral infections. In the case of BanLec, it works by binding naturally to the sugar-rich envelope that encases the HIV virus, thus blocking its entry into the body.

 "The problem with some HIV drugs is that the virus can mutate and become resistant, but that's much harder to do in the presence of lectins," said lead author Michael D. Swanson. "Lectins can bind to the sugars found on different spots of the HIV-1 envelope, and presumably it will take multiple mutations for the virus to get around them."

 Swanson and his colleagues noted that even modest success in developing BanLec into a womanly or BehindBased microbicide could save millions of lives. In fact, 20 percent coverage with a microbicide that is only 60 percent effective against HIV may prevent up to 2.5 million HIV infections in three years. 

 Furthermore, a BanLec ointment would be much cheaper to produce and distribute than most current anti-retroviral medications that require the production of synthetic components. One thing's for sure: new ways of stopping the transmission of HIV are desperately needed. 

Condoms are effective, but they are often used incorrectly or inconsistently, and in many cultures and developing countries women are not always in control of their intimate encounters. The introduction of a cheap, long-lasting, self-applied ointment derived naturally from bananas could change all of that.

Nigeria makes electric car, power bike

As the issue of environmental pollution rages and nations are seeking alternative energy sources devoid of carbon emission, Nigeria, as a major oil-exporter, will be hard hit if nothing is done. To this end, Professor James Omoleye of the Department of Chemical Engineering and  former Director, Centre for Research, Covenant University, Ota Ogun State, began a series of researches with his team which culminated in the making of an electric automobile and a power bike. In this chat with Vanguard Learning, Omoleye says Nigeria is far ahead of some nations in this area. Excerpts:
For Professor James Omoleye: “Nigeria is an oil-exporting country and today, the green revolution which is trying to promote mobility without atmospheric pollution, is driving the whole world to look for alternative way of transportation and that has led to some research on electric automobile.
“Electric automobile is not a new thing. In fact, somebody said it was there before fuel combustion engine came but was not efficient at that time. The use of petrol engine took over because it was more efficient. Now, because of pollution and electronic advancement which has made electric automobiles very efficient, there is a kind of shift. People want to look into electric automobile as a means of mobility.”
Reducing pollution by 80 per cent:
If you can reduce the amount of pollution in the air coming through automobiles, then you would have reduced pollution by almost 80 per cent and life on earth will be safer. So there is now a tendency to move towards electric mobility, not only automobiles, even boats and trains. In advanced countries, the number of electric automobiles in use is on the increase.
Of course, many are now using what we call hybrid which is electric engine and fuel combustion engine together. This reduces the amount of fuel you burn. But the ultimate is electric automobile so that we can do away with pollution of the atmosphere. That is already gaining ground now in countries like the US and China. In China, electric bikes are common and a number of their taxis are electric. So very soon, electric mobility will take over from fuel combustion.
Electric car and power bike
“I started in 2005 to research into electric automobiles. Our electric automobile came on the road on July 1, 2010 and I have been using it but not continuously being the only one we have made, we don’t just use it any how. What we did was to buy a fuel combustion engine car, removed the engine and designed and assembled the electric engine inside it.

Prof Omoleye

We have also advanced in the sense that the first one we did, we brought in the parts but between then and now, we have worked on two of the three major components which are the speed regulator and the charging system because after running about 70km, you charge for six hours continuously.
Today, we have successcfully designed and assembled our own speed controller. We have tested it by mounting it on a four-wheel cycle and it is moving very well. We have almost perfected the charging system. Of course, since September 2007, we have been able to come up with a charging system but it was not as efficient as what we have now. We are replacing the one we did in 2010 with the one we have now which is a lot faster and more reliable.
The only component we have not started to do here is the electric motor itself. But that is not a big deal because there is no vehicle company that manufactures all the parts. You get some parts from one company and then you design some,” said the professor of chemical engineering.
Ahead of many nations
“We have gone very far and I think we are ahead of many other nations. We are ahead of Australia because they are not yet making those things and they are the ones in the forefront of electric automobile. An Indian man that came for business in Abuja saw my programme on television and came all the way to look for us here.
He said he came because they also have interest in electric automobile and that his company was given approval by the Indian Government to start introducing electric mobility into their taxi system. By the time we talked, I found out that we are ahead of them. They don’t make any parts and yet, they have got to the point of changing their taxi system to electric automobiles but we have gone to the point of producing the controller and the charger,” he said.

...Power Bike

What Nigeria must do
“Even as an oil-exporting country, we cannot help encouraging something that will not consume fuel for two reasons: One, we are not making even the fuel combustion vehicles, we are importing them so if in the next five or six years the whole world is changing into electric automobile, you say ‘oh we are not going to go into that,’ you will be forced to import the electric automobiles they are making and good enough, petroleum is not only used for fuel combustion by automobiles, there are hundreds of products today that are made from petroleum just that Nigeria is only focusing on exporting crude.
Our clothes are from petroleum. When you talk of petrochemicals, the basic raw material is petroleum. So all we need to do is for us to try to focus on petrochemicals and start to divert the crude we cannot export to produce other things that can be exported.
Of course we will still be selling our crude but not as much as before. This is one reason why we should not say we are not going to encourage electric automobile production. Two, for now, we are only importing vehicles, when you join the race of electric automobiles manufacturing; you become one of the countries that will be earning revenue from exporting your own electric automobiles.
So while the fuel is not used for fuelling cars again, generators for the charging the automobiles will still be using fuel . You will now join them in also exporting vehicles and so you can increase your revenue base more than what it was before. We have gone very far and I think we are among the top five countries,” he noted.

Digital Photography

Everyone loves pictures, especially of themselves. In a social gathering, bring out the camera and everyone stands to attention, of course not so obvious that anyone else would notice; no one wants to be accused, even teasingly, of posing much too apparently. One wants to retain a little mystery. Anyhow, once the camera is out, suddenly people are having a good time, really determined not to be the party pooper. Nobody likes to see a glum picture, oh no. Smiles become more charming now, postures more alluring, and if they are on the beach, everyone jumps high. Picture perfect, they say. Why is Digital Photography so popular?
Almost everyone wants their picture taken—whether alone or in a group, whether with friends, loved ones, or with strangers; with pets, plants, or trees; with the horizon as backdrop, frolicking in the water, or simply lying on the sand, people just can’t get enough. They even get excited seeing a picture of their feet. Weird? Ha-ha! I’m sure not. People simply become kids again when it comes to picture taking. The world is suddenly more amusing, the ordinary green grass more arresting, the sky more enchanting, and their oh-so-familiar selves instantaneously more interesting.

Let’s face it. People, in one way or another, are obsessed with themselves. And what’s wrong with that? Perhaps it’s healthy narcissism. Why? See a picture of yourself with others and to who do your eyes immediately zoom in on? Yourself, of course! You want to see yourself first, wanting to see how you look. If you look good, then the day is suddenly so much brighter and you’d feel like you’re walking on air all day long. If you don’t look too good, then you couldn’t hit Delete fast enough, and almost always, you get a mirror and practice, determined to get that perfect angle, that perfect smile. The next time your picture is taken, bam! you look freakin’ good! Oh yeah. You’d be basking in the glory of mission accomplished. Oh the joy it brings! How simply wonderful! Such is the power of a picture. 
Gone were the days when you have to look serious and stiff on cam. Remember Grandma’s photos? With the black-and-white image and the unsmiling faces, they look, er, lifeless. And with the outdated outfit, they simply lack pizzazz. Some may even say, out of this world, literally. Since then, photos have become more colorful, in more ways than one, and people are just more carefree. People want to be wacky nowadays. After all, their friends are going to see them in Facebook. They want to make darn sure they look like they’re having a helluva good time. Dramatic emo photos are quite popular too. Perhaps because it makes them look like models, a glimpse into a more glamorous world, the mere pretense an experience in itself. Picture taking may just have revolutionized relationships too. Take a picture of me and you, and suddenly we’re friends, sort of. After all, we just made a memory, caught on film, or better yet, caught on cam—something of value, something to hold on to.
Much as we adore getting our pictures taken, the next logical step would be to get behind the lens, peering into that tiny, transparent glass, or eyepiece, our new window to the world. We go around looking for the unique in a world that we see every day and find that, in truth, the world is lovely, even in its most ordinary. Everything looks different, or perhaps it is us who are transformed, and the fact that we see so much beauty now is mighty exhilarating. And we rejoice for every great picture, as if the beauty we see is a new discovery. We are riveted not only in clean, attractive things, but also in the twisted, dark, or dirty. It’s quite addictive. In every picture, we rediscover the world we live in, its very complexity, and we love it even more. This may be one reason many people bring their digital cameras almost everywhere they go. They never want to miss a moment too great, an opportunity for a picture to create.
What is the preferred Camera?
Today, many are sporting digital single-lens reflex cameras, more popularly known as DSLRs, slung around their necks. Aside from vanity, the tendency for some to show off, people do love freezing happy memories, creating the chance to revisit them from time to time. Years ago, people would have been ecstatic just to get the plain digital point-and-shoot cam. Now, everyone is aiming for the more expensive, more technologically advanced, more professional-looking DSLR. They’re more bulky, yes, but the pictures they produce are so much better, and professional still photographers prefer them too.
Photographers
Professional photographers are constantly looking for that perfect shot. This does not necessarily mean having beautiful subjects. It’s about taking pictures that display the subject’s heart and soul, the humanness that bursts through in the spontaneity of a smile and the very innocence it portrays; in the little, fleeting, so-easy-to-miss emotions that give a glimpse to one’s thoughts. The thousand and one ways that identify each unique personality, ways that point out how thoroughly different each is from any other, though, ironically, our very difference manages to highlight the similarities we possess.
How important is the aspect of Light in Photography?
Essential to photography is the concept of light, and so professional photographers are concerned about aperture and shutter speed because aperture refers to how wide the lens is as it opens and allows light in while shutter speed refers to the length of time that light affects the picture. Thus, as important as light is, it could also hurt quality. In motion shots, especially fast-moving ones, wide apertures are vital to let in a lot of light yet short shutter speed so exact images are captured quickly and the picture is caught and the window closed to control the amount of light. Learning about automatic settings and manual settings and knowing when to switch is significant. For beginners, the automatic settings can certainly give very nice shots. It’s important for beginners to just enjoy using their DSLR without being bugged down by all its ultra-high-tech features and such complexities.
The six automatic settings are the following:
• Portrait – useful when taking photographs of people, gives realistic skin tone
• Close Up – useful for close-up shots of small objects so they appear larger
• Landscape – useful when taking photos of landscapes
• Night Portrait – useful when taking shots of a person in low light
• Sports – useful when taking shots of moving objects
• Flash Off - useful when using flash is a no-no

With automatic settings, it is important to set the DSLR to automatic focus (AF). When taking the shot, the shutter button should be pressed halfway down. Once it focuses, press it fully to take the shot. After mastering the automatic settings, learning about manual settings comes next. You’ll have more control with the quality of your pictures then. Lastly, the software Adobe Photoshop is as necessary to the photographer as Microsoft Word is to the writer. There are other software programs for photo editing, but Photoshop is simply the best there is. You can do a lot with Photoshop. With a few clicks, you make your photos simply extraordinary. You can change the color of images, make certain images sharper, resize, and others. Photoshop is great!
What are the best DSLR Cameras?
Most people prefer a Canon or a Nikon. They are leaders in DSLR technology. Others also like Sony, Olympus, and Pentax.
Why is DSLR best for Digital Photography?
The digital single-lens reflex camera, DSLR, uses a mechanical mirror system. It has a pentaprism. A Pentaprism is a reflecting prism that has five sides and it is used to avert a beam of light by 90°. It directs light from the lens to the optical viewfinder found at the back. A DSLR has a focal-plane shutter, eyepiece, 4-element lens, matte focusing screen, reflex mirror, condenser lens, image sensor, and pentaprism. The DLSR has larger sensors compared to the point and shoot, creating the same picture angle and depths of field as in film formats. It also uses a phase detection autofocus system, a method of focus that is very fast. The DSLR optical viewfinder produces live image, thus the image you see through the viewfinder is the exact picture you get at the point of clicking. What are the best features of a DSLR Camera?
There is no time lag. What you see upon clicking is what you get. This is very important when taking pictures of subjects that are moving fast. The best feature of a DSLR is the ability to change lenses depending on photographic needs. Also, in 2008, came out HDDSLR or high-definition DSLR. HDDSLR has a movie mode capable of recording high-definition motion video. It uses the full imager area to capture HD video. It has much larger sensors compared to DSLR. When compared to normal camcorders, HSDSLR lack autofocus while shooting, an electronic viewfinder/preview, and powered zoom. Though not as good yet as normal camcorders, the technology for HDDSLR is constantly evolving and improving every day. All in all, DSLRs will certainly please both the novice and the professional.