A highly-promoted feature in the 2011 Ford Explorer are its new inflatable rear seat belts. The not-so-highly-promoted working stiffs that helped make it happen? Human cadavers. Here’s how automakers still quietly use dead people to make your car safer.

When automakers and safety advocates show off the results of crash tests, they inevitably run video showing empty vehicles or crash test dummies; back in the 1980s, they even turned the dummies into lovable cartoon characters. What the industry doesn’t like talking about is how much of the safety innovation in vehicles was built around testing cadavers.

Since the 1930s, when researchers at Wayne State University first threw a body down an elevator shaft to see what kind of forces it could sustain, cadavers have been essential to making driving safer. Every part of a car touching on safety — from steering columns and laminated windshields to side-impact air bags — has science from cadaver tests making sure they work.

“It’s still very important,” said Priya Prasad, a former top safety researcher at Ford. “Even though we have very good math modeling of dummies, human modeling hasn’t reached that state yet.”

Automakers prefer to keep their names away from such ickiness. When a Swedish researcher told a newspaper in 2008 that General Motors and Saab were using cadavers in research, both companies quickly denied the story. And as far as the denial goes, it’s true: automakers don’t have the medical resources that cadaver tests require.

But universities do. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration funds scores of cadaver tests at schools across the country every year; many of those schools also get grants from automakers. And the data they gather can be shared widely.

That’s the case with Ford’s inflatable seat belts, an idea it’s been testing for several years. The 2011 Explorer will be the first vehicle in the world to offer them, and Ford has made the belts a highlight of the safety features offered to compete against other family haulers.

But before the system could be sold, Ford had to answer myriad questions. Just because it has an air bag doesn’t mean the belts would automatically do a better job of shielding passengers from injuries than standard seat belts. It could even be worse: What would happen to children who were sleeping on the belts when they inflated?

Most of Ford’s tests used the family of dummies developed by the industry, including ones that mimic children. But without a cadaver test, Ford couldn’t know for sure how the inflatable belt would affect internal organs and tissues.

Typically in cadaver tests, as the one pictured here run by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, researchers swaddle the body in stockings, including one over its face, partly for scientific reasons and partly out of respect. The arms and hands, if still attached, are bound in place to keep them from moving during a simulated crash, and sensors record the forces on various parts.

After the test, researchers would likely have used x-rays and autopsies to examine how much damage the cadaver sustained. Ford shared the results with NHTSA but deemed them confidential business information — meaning we can’t access them by way of a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request — but given that the belts are going on sale, we can guess the tests were successful.

Universities which run such tests have standard procedures for handling cadavers that cover every step of the process, from informing the relatives of a donor what the body will be used for to disposing of the remains.

Ford spokesman Wes Sherwood said the company, like the rest of the industry, was trying to move into digital modeling for crash testing whenever possible. It’s far cheaper to run thousands of computer simulations of a crash test with a digital wireframe than to do even one test with a dummy. And either test is less squeamish to the general public than crash-testing involving a once-living, breathing body. It’s no wonder they’re in no mood to publicize their continued, but still very necessary, use.

“If there’s a specific need (for a cadaver test), we will look outside the company to see if someone can help, but most of our work is digital,” Sherwood said.

Albert King, a professor at Wayne State who has been working in cadaver research since 1966, said the school’s tests had fallen off in recent years; where it used to do one cadaver test a month on average, it now did a few a year if that. King once estimated that such tests saved 8,500 lives a year.

The major reason? After six decades, there’s not much room left to improve safety inside the car. With even low-end vehicles offering eight air bags, most research has turned toward how to prevent crashes in the first place.

“We have most of the information we need,” King said. “The rest of it we’re doing through computer.”

But it’s not just cars that benefit. Researchers have drawn on Wayne State’s cadaver work to design helmets that might prevent concussions in NFL players. NASA has used cadavers to test crashworthiness in the past, and the Defense Department-backed studies rely on cadaver work to better understand traumatic brain injuries.

Prasad says as good as computer models are, they still can’t capture the exact essence of how human tissue reacts.

“It’s always a good idea when you’re developing something to do cadaver testing,” he said.

You may be surprised so know that most employers are always nervous of loosing their stake in the sock market due to certain skilled employees leaving or inability to get someone who can immediately hit the ground running. But the question is why employers would wait until someone leaves before they start looking for substitute. One of the reasons I am told is resource management. There is always this “cost cutting syndrome” that forces the employers to overwork their staff. When staff members are overworked without adequate compensation, such employers stand the risk of loosing good skilled people.

However, the face recruitment is changing. Because the employers are increasingly getting frustrated with fruitless efforts of getting good hands, they are shifting from traditional jobs boards to direct specialized forums where certain skill personnel discuss work experience challenges. For example, employers looking for software developers can look in to software development discussion forums to read codes that members write and send them private emails. While this technique may pay off for some companies, the green horns who have no job experience will continue to get frustrated.

Do you believe this method of hiring is the best? Let me know your thoughts!

Employers skip Job boards

Though they were a lot of indications during the show that Vienna was not real, Jake made us believe Vienna was the best of all the women

Vienna broke up with Jake

Some times I believe these shows are there to create unnecessary wealth.If not why would Jake and Vienna break up  3 months after the end of the show. Our source indicates that Vienna Called Star magazine to to break the news.

There has been ravaging rumour that Vienna has a boy friend called Greg and that Vienna was cheating on Jake.  Vienna has refuted this accusation on her twitter.

These are all bull story. Guys do you believe this?

Zhao Zuohai, the supposed killer, was acquitted of the crime and released by a Henan court on Saturday, state news agency Xinhua said, citing a court press conference on Sunday.

He had served 10 years of a 29-year sentence after confessing to killing Zhao Zhenshang in a hatchet fight in central China’s Henan province, the China Daily reported this weekend.

A headless body was found in a village well about a year after the fight, at which point Zhao was arrested and confessed to the killing.

The victim, Zhao Zhenshang, reappeared in the village on May 2 to seek welfare support. He had fled after the fight because he feared he had killed the now-imprisoned Zhao.

Convictions in the Chinese court system are strongly dependent on confessions, motivating police to use force to get a confession and close the case.

A series of deaths in police custody over the last year has emboldened reformers and aided a fight by the Ministry of Justice to wrest control of detention centres from the police.

The courts conducted an audit of all death penalty cases after a woman in Hubei province reappeared over a decade after her husband, She Xianglin, was jailed for her murder, in a case that also rested on his confession to police.

Relatives who maintained She’s innocence were also jailed.

The imprisoned Zhao’s brother told the local Dahe Newspaper that police had forced him to drink chili water and set off fireworks over his head to force the confession.

The imprisoned Zhao narrowly escaped being executed for the crime. His sentence was commuted from a death penalty with two years’ reprieve.

While in prison, his wife left him for another man and three of his four children were given to other families for adoption, the China Daily said.

Source: yahoo news

(Reporting by Lucy Hornby; Editing by Sugita Katyal)

If confirmed, It will show that Jonathan has picked his deputy from amongst Nigeria’s powerful state governors. The nominated vice president is a state governor from the North-western part of Nigeria.

Jonathan, who had acted as president, was sworn in last week as substantive president following the death of Umaru Musa Yar’adua.

Gov Sambo as VP

Reports said Mr. Sambo is the Vice President chosen by Jonathan in Abuja tonight and Mr. Jonathan’s final pick will be sent to the Nigerian Senate this morning for approval and confirmation.

As usual, the nominee eventually emerged outside the speculated names.

The six top candidates – before Sambo’s name came up – are the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Alhaji Yayale Ahmed; former Kaduna Governor Ahmed Makarfi; Sokoto Deputy Governor Mukhtar Shagari; Jigawa Governor Sule Lamido; Ambassador to South Africa Gen. Buba Marwa; and Niger State Governor Aliyu Babangida.

Yesterday, indications emerged that four contenders for the post of vice-president are undergoing security screening at the Department of Security Services and the name of Mohammed Sambo was not mentioned among them.

The National Assembly Northern senators under the aegis of Northern Senators Forum (NSF) endorsed former Kaduna State Governor and Chair of the Senate Committee on Finance Ahmed Makarfi for the post.

THISDAY reported that Makarfi and Deputy Governor of Sokoto State Muktar Shagari were among those being screened.

Other sources mentioned the name of Governor of Bauchi State Isa Yuguda who as a likely choice of the PDP governors but was a hard sale among the members of the National Assembly was dropped.

The Governors Forum was also reported to be considering the candidatures of Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido, Katsina State Governor Ibrahim Shema who are from the North-west and Gombe State Governor Danjuma Goje from North-east.

Two other senators from the North-west zone who were also tipped for the position, namely Senators Ibrahim Idah (Katsina) and Umaru Argungu (Kebbi State), reportedly withdrew their candidatures.

But Kanti, in a swift riposte, described the resolution of the NSF as “silly.”

According to him, “Though I was at the meeting and we agreed that it is the North-west that would produce the VP and it is natural to allow the President to make the nomination; it is not Governors’ Forum or NSF that would do so.

Another name frequently mentioned is the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Alhaji Yayale Ahmed as Vice President. But his nomination was said to be opposed by the governors who seemed to have carried the day.

Profile

Arc. Mohammed namadi sambo was born on the 2ND of august, 1952 in zaria, kaduna state of nigeria.

He is married with six children Arc. Mohammed namadi sambo started his educational career between the year 1959 at baptist primary school kakuri, kaduna and kobi pirmary school in bauchi.

Between 1967 to 1971, he attended government secondary school now alhuda-huda college in zaria. Again, from 1972 to 1973, he atteded the school of basic studies at the ahmadu bello university, zaria In 1973, he gained admission into the famous department of architecture ahmadu bellow university, zaria and graudated in 1986 with bachelor of science degree with thonours in architecture (b.sc. (hons) and holds a masters degree (m.sc.) Architecture in 1978.

As a fresh graduate in august 1978 hes served with the oyo state ministry of works and housing for the compulsory national youth service corps scheme up to the end of august 1979.

When bauchi state was created in 1976, the prospects of career advancement was provided by the new government.

He gained employment with the new state and served the state government as the first set of architects that wre involved in the design of various offices and staff housing

BBC confirmed that “A presidential spokesman said at the time that he was being treated for acute pericarditis, an inflammation of the lining around the heart. ”

What is  pericarditis?

The hearts sits in the center of the chest and is surrounded by a sac called the pericardium. This sac has two layers, one that fits tightly onto the heart muscle and another looser layer surrounding the inner layer. Inflammation of these tissue layers surrounding the heart is referred to as pericarditis.

Pericarditis in Pictures

fibrinous_pericarditis

Pictures of Normal and abnormal Pericardium

Pericarditium

The University of Sheffield does not offer research studentships or funding specifically for Nigerian students. There are, however, studentships and funding for which all international students can apply here

Nigeria: Jonathan Unveils List of New Ministers

By Cosmas Epkunobi

24 March 2010

After days of waiting, Acting President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday sent a list of ministerial nominees to the Senate for clearance and confirmation.

Daily Champion gathered from Presidency sources that the list had earlier been sent to the State Security Services (SSS) and the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) for scrutiny.

Jonathan, acting to expectation, shocked members of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) last Wednesday when after a long drawn meeting, he thanked them for service to their fatherland and dissolved the council.

Though some of the ministers confessed they were taken by surprise, Jonathan had ordered that they hand over to permanent secretaries in their respective ministries.The Daily Nation

Though there has been no official confirmation of the names on the list, however, Daily Champion learnt that only seven of the sacked ministers may stage a comeback.

The new names, Daily Champion gathered, will consist more of technocrats and professionals who are drawn from the private sector.

Already, Mrs. Diezani Allision-Madueke, said to be a long time ally of the Acting President, is listed as one of the former ministers who will likely make a comeback along with Mrs. Fidelia Njeze who last served as Minister of State in the Ministry of Works.

Others being touted to have likely made the list include Prince Adetokunbo Kayode, said to be a loyalist of former President Olusegun Obasanjo-boy, with Odein Ajumogobia who is an ally of former Rivers State governor, Dr. Peter Odili.

Another possible returnee is Godsday Orubebe.

Also, the managing director of London-based Goldman Sachs, Olusegun Aganga, is being touted as Finance Minister, while there are possibilities that former deputy governor of Nasarawa State, Labaran Maku and Prof. M. K Abubakar may be on the list.

Meanwhile, Senate Spokesman, Senator Ayogu Eze confirmed that the nominee list had been received at the Senate but declined to give insights into names contained on it.

However, he said the Senate may give accelerated clearance due to the urgent attention the list demands noting that the senate may devote an entire week to conclude the screening and ensure immediate constitution of the federal executive council.

Some of the nominees

• Josephine Anenih (Anambra)

• N. S Olubode (Ekiti State)

• Chris Ogiemwoyi (Edo)

• Ndanusa Alao (Kogi)

• Muritala Yar’Adua (Katsina)

• Nduesi Essien (Akwa Ibom)

• Umaru Aliyu (Taraba)

• Abubakar Saidi Mohammed (Gombe)

• Olusegun Aganga

•Nuhu Somo Waya

•Godswill Orubebe

•Adetokunbo Kayode,

•Odein Ajumogobia,

•Mrs. Deziani Allison- Madueke,

•Fidelia Nzeze,

•Labaran Maku(Katsina)

•Prof. M. K Abubakar (Kaduna)

“La Caixa” Foundation – Barcelona GSE Scholarships for students from emerging and developing countries

The “la Caixa” savings bank Foundation and the Barcelona GSE offer 14 fully-funded scholarships to students from emerging and developing countries (*) with excellent academic backgrounds who will return to their home countries at the end of their professional training process to implement their knowledge.

This award covers:

* master program tuition
* medical insurance
* round-trip airfare from the student’s country of residence
* monthly stipend for expenses during the student’s stay in Barcelona

(*) Note: “Emerging and developing countries” is an expression used to name all countries not included on the following 2008 IMF list of “advanced economies”: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong SAR, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, United Kingdom, United States of America.