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1441

Life Style / How you can beat stress

« on: May 24, 2013, 04:24:34 PM »

We find you ways ...simple ways that will keep your stress and anxiety levels away

Smile: One needs to smile a lot, so try watching an old David Dhawan flick or a comedy movieat home or a comedy show on TV - Comedy Central has many good shows.

Shed your tears: Sometimes its essential to let your feelings out and if in that process you cry it cleanses your system and unloads you of a lot of baggage that you are carrying. So crying is good sometimes.

Show love: If you have a small child in the neighbourhood, or a dog or a pet at home, nothing better than having fun with them, playing with them and showering love on them. It will surely de-stress you.

Smell: Scented candles sometimes make your room the best of place to be. It puts you in a very good mood. Even scented incense sticks make you feel pure and nice from within.

Eat a nice meal that you have made yourself. Could be anything from a pizza to a rajma rice.

Listen to a nice song....a song that you have cherished or makes you feel good about life. Sunidhi Chauhan's unplugged version of Yaariyan from Cocktail is very good. Or listen to some instrumental music fromYanni or a classical music sarod or santoor music.

Look at pictures from old friends or old memories of school.

Say no to people who just pass your time but lack quality conversations. Stop people from taking you for granted. Instead of spending time with a group of people who are just boring, spend time at home doing something good.

Meditate and chant Omkara a few times. The fresh air and chanting will cool the mind.

1442

Pharmacy / Carrots.... full of Benefits....

« on: May 24, 2013, 12:07:24 PM »

     Forget about vitamin A pills. With this orange crunchy power food, you get vitamin A and a host of other powerful health benefits including beautiful skin, cancer prevention, and anti-aging. How to get maximum benefits from this amazing vegetable are given below:

1.   Improved Vision
Carrots are rich in beta-carotene, which is converted into vitamin A in the liver. Vitamin A is transformed in the retina, to rhodopsin, a purple pigment necessary for night vision.
 
2.   Cancer Prevention
Carrots reduce the risk of lung cancer, breast cancer and colon cancer.

3.   Anti-Aging
The high level of beta-carotene acts as an antioxidant to cell damage done to the body through regular metabolism.  It help slows down the aging of cells.

4.   A Powerful Antiseptic
Carrots are known by herbalists to prevent infection. They can be used on cuts – shredded raw or boiled and mashed.

5.   Prevent Heart Disease
Carrots have not only beta-carotene but also alpha-carotene and lutein. The regular consumption of carrots also reduces cholesterol levels because the soluble fibers in carrots bind with bile acids.

6.   Healthy Teeth and Gums
It’s all in the crunch! Carrots clean your teeth and mouth. They scrape off plaque and food particles just like toothbrushes or toothpaste. The minerals in carrots prevent tooth damage.

1443

Heart / Traffic pollution may cause 14% of childhood asthma

« on: May 24, 2013, 12:08:28 AM »

 As much as 14 percent of chronicchildhood asthma may be caused by people living near busy roads and exposed to traffic pollution, a study in 10 European cities found Friday.

The study, released by the European Respiratory Journal, matched local health data with exposure to traffic pollution in Barcelona, Bilbao, Brussels, Granada, Ljubljana, Rome, Seville, Stockholm, Valencia and Vienna.

They calculated proximity to busy roads, defined as carrying 10,000 vehicles per day.

"We estimated that an average of 33,200 asthma cases (14 percent of all asthmatic children) were attributable to near-road traffic-related pollutants," the researchers wrote.

"In other words these cases would not have occurred if no one lived within the buffer zone or if those pollutants did not exist."

The results were comparable, the authors said, to the burden associated with passive smoking -- which the World Health Organisation blames for four to 18 percent of asthma cases in children.

Of the 10 cities studied, a third of the combined population was estimated to live within 75 metres of a busy road, and more than half within 150 metres.

The team also measured traffic pollution's impact on coronary heart disease among older adults, and estimated that 28 percent of such cases may be attributable to near-road exposure.

"Despite uncertainty and limitations, our results indicate that near-road traffic related pollution may be responsible for a large but preventable burden of chronic diseases and related acute morbidities in urban areas," said the study authors.

1444

You need to know / Deep-sea monsters have surprising DNA

« on: May 24, 2013, 12:01:46 AM »

Giant squid, which can grow to an astounding 43 feet long, have equally extraordinary DNA, a new study concludes.
The long-awaited report, published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B , finds that there is “exceptionally low” genetic diversity among giant squid from around the world.
“These observations are consistent with the hypotheses that there is only one global species of giant squid, Architeuthis dux,” wrote IngerWinkelmann and colleagues, who suggested that the squid could have one of the largest known ranges of any species.
NEWS: Giant Squid: Still a Deep Mystery
Little is known about giant squid, which can live some 3,300 feet below the surface. Mostly we know about them from fantasy adventure books, like “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ,” and images of them dead, with their long tentacles dangling far beyond the picture frame. Giant squid are rarely captured alive, with most found stranded on beaches or seen floating dead on the water’s surface. Unfortunately, some are also retrieved by fisheries as by-catch .
Winkelmann, from the University of Copenhagen’s Natural History Museum of Denmark, and colleagues studied the mitochondrial genome  of tissue samples from 43 such giant squid. “Mitochondrial” refers to a type of DNA inherited only through the female line. The squid came from all over the world, including waters off of California, Florida, Spain, Japan and New Zealand.
Incredibly, all had the same basic mitochondrial genomes. If there is just one giant squid species, as the researchers suspect, then adults must travel huge distances. Younger squid might disperse via drifting.
BLOG: Giant Squid Filmed in Pacific Depths
Giant squid might also be more plentiful than previously thought. But the lack of genetic diversity could make this species more vulnerable to human impact. Back in the day, fishermen rarely encountered the deep-dwelling squid. Now, with modern trawling equipment and huge fishing operations, the squid are more likely to become by-catch.
Pollution and climate change could also hurt the squid, as could loss of their food sources. They are thought to primarily feed on deep sea fish and other, smaller types of squid.

1445

Food Habit / 6-8 hours of sleep helps cut flab

« on: May 23, 2013, 11:55:32 PM »

A new Kaiser Permanente study has found that people with the lowest stress levels and who also got more than six hours, but not more than eight hours, of sleep were most likely to lose at least 10 pounds.

Nearly 500 participants from Kaiser Permanente in Oregon and Washington took part in the study, which measured whether sleep, stress, depression, television viewing, and computer screen time were correlated withweight loss.

Several previous studies have found an association between these factors and obesity, but few have looked at whether these factors predict weight loss.

"This study suggests that when people are trying to lose weight, they should try to get the right amount of sleep and reduce their stress," saidlead author Charles Elder.

"Some people may just need to cut back on their schedules and get to bed earlier. Others may find that exercise can reduce stress and help them sleep. For some people, mind/body techniques such as meditation also might be helpful," he added.

The researchers, however, cautioned that their findings might not apply to all groups trying to lose weight.

1446

Food Habit / Restaurant meals for kids fail nutrition test

« on: May 23, 2013, 11:52:54 PM »

The menus offered to children by most U.S. restaurant chains have too many calories, too much salt or fat, and often not a hint of vegetables or fruit, according to a study by the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
The group, which has agitated for everything from healthier popcorn at the movies to calorie labeling in supermarkets, found that among almost 3,500 combinations surveyed, kids' meals failed to meet nutritional standards 97 percent of the time.
That was a marginal improvement over 2008 when such meals failed to meet standards 99 percent of the time.
Every children's meal offered at popular chains such as Chipotle Mexican Grill, Dairy Queen, Hardee's, McDonald's, Panda Express, Perkins Family Restaurants and Popeyes fell short of standards adopted by the center from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's nutritional recommendations
The meals also fell short of standards set by the National Restaurant Association's Kids LiveWell Program, said the CSPI, which titled its study, "Kids' Meals: Obesity on the Menu."
"Most chains seem stuck in a time warp, serving up the same old meals based on chicken nuggets, burgers, macaroni and cheese, fries, and soda," said Margo Wootan, CSPI nutrition policy director. "It's like the restaurant industry didn't get the memo that there's a childhood obesity crisis."
Among the meals singled out was Applebees' grilled cheese sandwich on sourdough bread, fries and two percent chocolate milk, which has 1,210 calories, 62 grams of fat and 2,340 milligrams of sodium.
The combo meal had nearly three times as many calories as the CSPI's criteria for four- to- eight-year-olds suggest.
At Ruby Tuesday, the macaroni and cheese, white cheddar mashed potatoes and fruit punch combo has 870 calories, 46 grams of fat and 1700 milligrams of sodium, said Wootan.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that children eat no more than 2,300 milligrams of salt each day to avoid high blood pressure, which can lead to coronary disease, stroke and other ailments.
Being overweight as a child makes a person vulnerable to heart disease, diabetes and a shortened life span. About one-third of American children are now considered overweight and 17 percent are considered obese, according to USDA's Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
The CSPI cited Subway restaurants' Fresh Fit For Kids meal combinations as exceptions to the salty, fatty norm.
Subway serves apple slices with its kid-sized sub sandwiches and offers low-fat milk or bottled water instead of soda. All eight of its children's meals met CSPI's nutrition criteria.
A few other establishments have begun to offer side dishes beyond French fries. In fact, every child's meal at Longhorn Steakhouse now comes with fruit or a vegetable.
"More chains are adding fruit, like apple slices, to their menus, but practically every chain could be adding more vegetable and whole grain options," said Ameena Batada, an assistant professor in the Department of Health and Wellness at the University of North Carolina Asheville.
Labeling can be a potent tool. The report cited two studies that indicated customers who are provided with calorie counts on the menu sometimes gravitate toward healthier choices.
To produce its study, the CSPI looked at 50 top U.S. chain restaurants, finding 34 of them had meals designed for children and were willing to provide nutritional data. It analyzed those meals and meal combinations.

1447

Food Habit / A garlic a day for good health

« on: May 23, 2013, 11:43:18 PM »

Garlic with its antiviral and antibacterial properties helps boost your immunity and keeps you looking fresh and healthy. While in some cases garlic supplements are available and prescribed as a preventive measure for common cold, it's actually very easy to incorporate a few cloves of garlic in our daily meals. Here's how you can consume garlic without having to deal with that awful breadth.

Add it to your soup: Soup itself is a very good decongestant and helps warm up the body. Make your own vegetable or chicken broth soup at home and add garlic to it to enhance the flavour as well as get its antibiotic effect. Here's what you can do:

Bring two cups of water to a simmer over medium-high heat in a small saucepan. Add garlic (grated and made into a paste, for better flavouring), some thyme or oregano seasoning, one tablespoon of olive oil and salt to taste to the water. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes until the broth is fragrant. Add green vegetables (fresh peas, diced carrots, beans, spring onions, chopped capsicum, or other vegetables of your choice) to the broth and simmer uncovered for another five to eight minutes until the vegetables are tender. Taste and adjust salt. Beat one egg in a bowl, and add a little freshly ground pepper to it. Remove a small ladleful of the soup, and whisk it into the egg to temper it. Turn the heat off under the soup, and stir in the egg mixture. The egg should cloud the soup but shouldn't scramble. Add some extra pepper on the top, pour out in a bowl and enjoy.

Make your own garlic drink: The smell of garlic makes it difficult to be consumed raw, but when you use other ingredients with an equally powerful taste, it's easier. Here's a drink you can try:

Take a large saucepan and add three cups of water. Grate five cloves of garlic and add it to the water. Cover the lid and bring it to boil so that the garlic fumes don't escape. Turn off the heat after its boiled, add 10ml honey and the juice of one lemon to the garlic-water and stir well. Strain it into cups and sip it, while inhaling the garlic fumes.

Try garlic vinegar: Desperate times need desperate measure, and if you are dealing with a stubborn cold, you must try this garlic-vinegar recipe which is sure to benefit you instantly.

In a medium sized bowl, add vinegar (at least half the bowl). Mince one large bulb of garlic (at least 10-15 cloves) and add it to the vinegar. Cover it and let it sit for about an hour. The vinegar absorbs all the raw qualities of the garlic, making it a really strong solution. Strain it and drink the solution when you need immediate effects. Otherwise, use it as a salad dressing or in other recipes that use vinegar.

1448

Life Style / Daydreaming the top cause of distracted driving accidents

« on: May 23, 2013, 11:38:47 PM »

Are drivers lost in space?
A study by the Erie Insurance company of the roughly 6,500 fatal accidents that occurred in 2010 and 2011 which involved distracted driving found that it wasn’t cell phones at texting that were mostly to blame, but simple daydreaming.
According to police reports of the incidents, 62 percent of the accidents involved one or more drivers that were “lost in thought,” compared to just 12 percent that were using a phone to text or make a call.
Things happening outside the vehicle, interactions with other passengers and fiddling with devices brought into the car round out the top five distractions in the report, which was conducted with the assistance of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
The use of built-in accessories, including stereos and navigation systems, animals in the vehicle and smoking each were cited in just one percent of incidents.
Erie cautions that the data is based on the word of the persons involved and the judgment of the officers at the scenes of the accidents, but given the legal nature of the reports makes it a meaningful compliment to self-reported surveys on distracted drivin

1449

Football / MESSI'S CAREER AT BARÇA: 13 YEARS, 13 KEY MOMENTS

« on: May 23, 2013, 07:01:55 PM »

Leo Messi, who renewed his contract through 2018, is 25 years old and he’s been with Barça for 13 years. Here's an overview of the 13 key moments in the world’s best player’s career:

Key moment 1 - Official debut with the first team (October 16, 2004): Messi’s first match for the senior side was in La Liga in the Catalan derby played at Montjuïc. He was subbed in for Deco.

Key moment 2- His first goal in La Liga (May 1, 2005): Against Albacete, at the Camp Nou, Messi received an assist from Ronaldinho; the Argentine then chipped Valbuena to seal Barça’s 2-0 victory. That year Barça went on to win the first Liga title of the Rijkaard era.

Key moment 3- The Joan Gamper Trophy against Juventus (August 24, 2005): Even though Messi had already shown what he was capable of, his breakout match was against Capello’s Juventus in the Joan Gamper Trophy. The Argentine was simply unstoppable.

Key moment 4- 19-year-old Messi nets hat trick against Real Madrid (March 10, 2007): His first hat trick with the first team was against Real Madrid in the Clásico at the Camp Nou. His third goal came in the last minute of the match; his three goals secured a point for his team, who were down a man.

Key moment 5- Maradona-like goal against Getafe (April 18, 2007): In the semi-finals of the Cup, Messi scored a goal for the history books: he received the ball in the center of the pitch and left every defender, plus the keeper, in his wake before he fired to the back of the net. The goal is nearly identical to the one Maradona scored in the 1986 World Cup against England.

Key moment 6- Treble in Rome (May 27, 2009): The Argentine scored a header against Manchester United in Rome and secured the Champions League title for FC Barcelona and, at the same time, secured the Club's first ever treble: Cup, League, Champions League.

Key moment 7- First Ballon d’Or (December 1, 2009): After finishing third in 2007 and second in 2008, France Football named Leo Messi the best footballer of the year in 2009.

Key moment 8- Match-winning goal scored with his ‘heart’; Club World Cup title (December 1, 2009): Barça went on to win the only title that hadn’t graced the Catalan Club’s trophy cabinet in December of 2009. In Abu Dhabi, Barça defeated Estudiantes de La Plata in overtime thanks to a goal scored by Leo Messi. Barça went on to lift its sixth trophy in a year after the game, that team is affectionately known as the Barça of the Six Cups.

Key moment 9- Decisive goal in Wembley (May 28, 2011): The final of the Champions League against Manchester United was one of the most brilliant of the Pep Guardiola era. Messi scored the go-ahead goal (2-1) in the second half and the Blaugrana would go on to win the title (3-1).

Key moment 10- Highest goal scorer in the history of the Club (March 20, 2012): Against Granada, at the Camp Nou, Leo Messi became the highest goal scorer in the history of the Club in official matches. He broke the previous record of 232 goals set by César Rodríguez.

Key moment 11- 50 goals in La Liga in one season and second Golden Boot Award (May 12, 2012): The 2011/12 season ends with a jaw-dropping 50-goal tally for Messi. The Argentine, thanks to his 50 goals in the domestic competition, wins his second Golden Boot Award.
 
Key moment 12- Messi breaks Müller’s record (December 22, 2012): The Argentine scored 91 goals in 2012 and smashes Gerd Müller’s record of 85 goals scored in a calendar year (1972).

Key moment 13- Fourth consecutive Ballon d’Or (January 7, 2013): Messi becomes the first footballer ever to win the Ballon d’Or four times. In addition, all four awards were won consecutively.

1450

Pharmacy / NERICA..... new addition...

« on: May 23, 2013, 06:46:18 PM »

The term NERICA stands for ‘New Rice for Africa’, an extended family of some 3,000 siblings was developed by interspecific crossing between Asian rice Oryza sativa and African rice O. glaberrima in 1990. Evolvement of high-yielding NERICA rice variety by interspecific crossing is the first success in the history of rice breeding.

NERICA varieties have high yield potential and short growth cycle (90–100 days) which helps to take up double cropping and crop rotation with a legume and enrich the soil with nitrogen. In addition, NERICAs escape late-season insects and diseases, thus preventing yield losses. NERICAs have raised the yield ceiling of upland rice by 50%. The new rice can produce 6 mt/hac. in the best condition and up to 2.3 mt/hac. under drought. Tolerance to acidic soils enables the utilization of huge repositories of rock phosphate, which is soluble only in acid medium.

BADC started applied research activities with an amount of 60 gm NERICA seed in Sept. 2009 to assess the feasibility of its cultivation in different Agro Ecological Zones of Bangladesh. In applied research NERICA found suitable to cultivate in all the three rice seasons (round the year) i.e., Aus, Aman & Boro in Bangladesh. After harvesting potato huge area remain fallow throughout the country where NERICA can be cultivated as an additional crop. It is also suitable for cultivation as a Jhum crop in hilly areas.

1451

Pharmacy / Poor sleep.... lost memories....

« on: May 23, 2013, 06:16:56 PM »

Washington, January 28 (ANI): Scientists at the University of California, Berkeley have for the first time found a link between poor sleep, memory loss and brain deterioration in older adults.

They have found that the slow brain waves generated during the deep, restorative sleep we typically experience in youth play a key role in transporting memories from the hippocampus - which provides short-term storage for memories - to the prefrontal cortex's longer term "hard drive."

However, in older adults, memories may be getting stuck in the hippocampus due to the poor quality of deep 'slow wave' sleep, and are then overwritten by new memories, the findings suggested.

Their discovery opens the door to boosting the quality of sleep in elderly people to improve memory. "What we have discovered is a dysfunctional pathway that helps explain the relationship between brain deterioration, sleep disruption and memory loss as we get older - and with that, a potentially new treatment avenue," said UC Berkeley sleep researcher Matthew Walker, an associate professor of psychology and neuroscience at UC Berkeley and senior author of the study.

The findings shed new light on some of the forgetfulness common to the elderly that includes difficulty remembering people's names.
"When we are young, we have deep sleep that helps the brain store and retain new facts and information. But as we get older, the quality of our sleep deteriorates and prevents those memories from being saved by the brain at night," Walker said.

The discovery that slow waves in the frontal brain help strengthen memories paves the way for therapeutic treatments for memory loss in the elderly, such as transcranial direct current stimulation or pharmaceutical remedies. For example, in an earlier study, neuroscientists in Germany successfully used electrical stimulation of the brain in young adults to enhance deep sleep and doubled their overnight memory.
UC Berkeley researchers will be conducting a similar sleep-enhancing study in older adults to see if it will improve their overnight memory. "Can you jumpstart slow wave sleep and help people remember their lives and memories better? It's an exciting possibility," said Bryce Mander, a postdoctoral fellow in psychology at UC Berkeley and lead author of this latest study.

On average, the quality of their deep sleep was 75 percent lower than that of the younger participants, and their memory of the word pairs the next day was 55 percent worse.

Meanwhile, in younger adults, brain scans showed that deep sleep had efficiently helped to shift their memories from the short-term storage of the hippocampus to the long-term storage of the prefrontal cortex.

The study will be published in the journal Nature Neuroscience. (ANI)

1452

Pharmacy / Mobile Health [mHealth]

« on: May 23, 2013, 06:07:34 PM »

In contrast to healthcare access, mobile access is becoming almost ubiquitous worldwide. The increasing penetration of smartphones as well as 3G and 4G networks will provide a significant boost to the use of mobile platforms for providing healthcare services. Mobile health (mHealth) stands at a significant inflection point.
 
Rhenu Bhuller, Vice President of Healthcare, Frost & Sullivan Asia Pacific said "We can see that there is a shift from the hospital approach to a personal-driven approach i.e. home care, where people will take care of themselves with help from family, friends and technologies. Mobile Health will become one of the biggest business model disruptors creating access for healthcare delivery on a mass basis,"

She continued, "Through the use of mobile devices, patients have immense possibilities for adequate recordings of biomedical signals at home which include glucose analysis, respiratory parameters, blood pressure measurements, and electrocardiogram (ECG) recordings. The storage capacity, faster computing speeds, ease of use, and portability render mobile devices an optimal solution in terms of diagnosis and monitoring of chronic conditions."

"Existing mHealth applications have shown that the combined use of a mobile network and a connected device can greatly extend the reach of healthcare platforms, and the potential for further development is huge," she concluded.

1453

Pharmacy / Train Your Mind

« on: May 23, 2013, 06:02:48 PM »

They say that before your body can do something, your mind has to do it first. If you do not believe in something mentally, then - physically - you will not be able to do it 99% of the time. Thus, a proper mindset is very important for maximizing your physical performance. Of course, one needs to focus on building endurance gradually, since your mind can only take you so far before your body really cannot operate anymore. It is in these months/years that you spend preparing for an event that you have to start preparing mentally to do well during the actual event.

Staying in all the time
If you need to be mentally prepared, you need to be involved all the time. This will not only stretch your mind but also keep it sharp.

A Fit Mind
With new things, the human mind learns to stay strong and perform better, because different challenges make your brain act differently every time. Combine fun with learning by reading often and playing a variety of different games. Regular exercise and fitness activities will strengthen your mental capacity.

Reinforcing Mental Function
Developing the right skills to help your mind stay sharp and promote stronger thinking and concentration is also important for good mental functioning. One needs to identify things that distract you and then create an environment that keeps those thoughts away so it doesn’t harm your performance.

Believe in your capacity
You have to be self-motivated and have believed in your capacity to achieve the goal.

1454

Pharmacy / New drug for Diabetis

« on: May 23, 2013, 01:20:28 AM »

Canagliflozin is the first-in-class US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)–approved inhibitor of sodium glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2). Its mechanism of action is to lower renal resorption of glucose, thereby boosting urinary excretion of glucose, reducing plasma glucose levels, and enhancing weight loss.

In January 2013, the FDA's Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee voted 10 to 5 to approve canagliflozin, based on the unmet need for new agents in the type 2 diabetes arsenal, the absence of hypoglycemia, and the potential for weight loss. The approval for canagliflozin is for use with diet and exercise, to improve glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes.

The FDA has approved orally administered canagliflozin to improve glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes, in conjunction with diet and exercise. Safety and efficacy trials showed improvement in hemoglobin A1c and fasting plasma glucose levels. However, the FDA stated that current data were insufficient to be certain about possibly elevated stroke risk.

1455

Science and Information / charge your mobile phone with water

« on: May 22, 2013, 04:04:47 PM »

Researchers in Sweden have developed a new technique where you can charge your devices anywhere without electricity, provided there is a water source nearby. Just add a spoonful and get instant power, anytime anywhere.

Handy for anyone who spends time away from electricity, the small, lightweight PowerTrekk could power critical devices for warfighters and aid workers deployed to remote areas of the world, Fox News reported.

Developed by a team in Sweden's KTH Royal Institute of Technology and made by MyFC, it's the world's first water-activated charging device that powers using fresh or salt water, the developers claimed. It can extend battery life up to 3 watts.

So if you take an iPhone, the charge would be enough for between 25 and 100 per cent of its battery capacity. Any convenient water can be harvested for power, from a kitchen faucet through to a puddle in the jungle.

Solar charging can be affected by the weather and the position of the sun, of course, and not hugely helpful if your urgent power shortage hits at night. Water charging isn't hindered by these external factors. Even in a desert, a spoonful of water from your thermos can give you power.

The new device leverages the team's more than 15 years of research on micro fuel cell technologyand small flat Proton Exchange Membrane fuel cells at the Department of Applied Electrochemistry at KTH.

To use the PowerTrekk charger, you fill-up water compartment with about one tablespoon, close the lid and connect it to the electronic device with a USB cable. It starts charging automatically as the water inside interacts with a small disposable metal disc causing hydrogen gas to be released.

When the gas combines with oxygen it converts chemical energy into electrical energy. While in many ways fuel cells are similar to batteries, they are different in that electrodes do not become consumed making them finite.

Instead provided water and air is provided to the electrodes, these fuel cells will run. Very green power, water vapor is the only by-product.

Currently, Powertrekk works with devices like cell and smartphones, digital cameras, iPods and GPS. The company is looking into developing their fuel cells to function for larger devices like laptops.