₦airaland Forum

Healthcare for None by the year 2010.
An addition to the numerous ways our leaders continue to under-develope our country.

Disease and intelligence

Parasites and pathogens may explain why people in some parts of the world are cleverer than those in others

HUMAN intelligence is puzzling. It is higher, on average, in some places than in others. And it seems to have been rising in recent decades. Why these two things should be true is controversial. This week, though, a group of researchers at the University of New Mexico propose the same explanation for both: the effect of infectious disease. If they are right, it suggests that the control of such diseases is crucial to a country’s development in a way that had not been appreciated before. Places that harbour a lot of parasites and pathogens not only suffer the debilitating effects of disease on their workforces, but also have their human capital eroded, child by child, from birth.

Christopher Eppig and his colleagues make their suggestion in the Proceedings of the Royal Society. They note that the brains of newly born children require 87% of those children’s metabolic energy. In five-year-olds the figure is still 44% and even in adults the brain—a mere 2% of the body’s weight—consumes about a quarter of the body’s energy. Any competition for this energy is likely to damage the brain’s development, and parasites and pathogens compete for it in several ways. Some feed on the host’s tissue directly, or hijack its molecular machinery to reproduce. Some, particularly those that live in the gut, stop their host absorbing food. And all provoke the host’s immune system into activity, which diverts resources from other things.

The other prediction, of course, is that as countries conquer disease, the intelligence of their citizens will rise. A rise in intelligence over the decades has already been noticed in rich countries. It is called the Flynn effect after James Flynn, who discovered it. Its cause, however, has been mysterious—until now. If Mr Eppig is right, the near-abolition of serious infections in these countries, by vaccination, clean water and proper sewerage, may explain much if not all of the Flynn effect.

When Dr Lynn and Dr Vanhanen originally published their IQ data, they used them to advance the theory that national differences in intelligence were the main reason for different levels of economic development. This study turns that reasoning on its head. It is lack of development, and the many health problems this brings, which explains the difference in levels of intelligence. No doubt, in a vicious circle, those differences help keep poor countries poor. But the new theory offers a way to break the circle. If further work by researchers supports the ideas of Mr Eppig and his colleagues, they will have done the world a good turn by providing policymakers with yet another reason why the elimination of disease should be one of the main aims of development, rather than a desirable afterthought.


http://www.economist.com/node/16479286?story_id=16479286&fsrc=scn/tw/te/rss/pe

Google's Android smartphone operating system is doing quite well in the market, posting an incredible 236 percent growth in market share between November 2009 and February 2010, according to recently released metrics from market research firm ComScore.

That gain catapulted the open smartphone maker from 3.2 percent of the market to 9.0 percent of the market, sending it leaping over Palm into fourth place.  Speaking of Palm, the company's slide continues as it shed 1.8 percent market share, dropping from 7.2 percent to 5.4 percent.

Google's gains were fueled in part by the launch of the advanced Motorola Droid and HTC Nexus One handsets, which brought multi-touch to Android at last.

The picture isn't pretty for Microsoft either, who has to endure the agonizing wait for Windows Phone 7.  Microsoft was the biggest loser for the quarter, dropping from 19.1 percent to 15.1 percent.  That big loss means that with one more big quarter Google could pass Microsoft and move into third place.

Apple also posted a surprising loss as it awaits the release of the fourth generation iPhone this summer, which is rumored to bring an HD screen to the popular device.  The loss was minimal -- Apple shed 0.1 percent, dropping from 25.5 percent to 25.4 percent of the market.

Still, it marks a reversal of a long growth trend for Apple.  Apple has cause for concern with Android, as illustrated by its recent litigation against Android handset maker HTC, which its suing to try block all phone imports.  Apple's biggest asset is its 150,000 apps, but Droid's app library is rapidly expanding, and it now has 30,000 apps of its own.

RIM, meanwhile enjoys a healthy lead thanks to its loyal legion of business users.  The Blackberry maker remains somewhat aloof to the Apple-Microsoft-Google war that's developing below.  RIM's marketshare grew slightly over the quarter, jumping from 40.8 percent to 42.1 percent of the market.

http://www.dailytech.com/Microsoft+Apple+Lose+Smartphone+Market+Share+While+Google+Makes+Big+Gains/article18061.htm

Are you talking about (standard cell) phones or smartphones (you know there's a difference)

The majority of mobile users are still using standard handsets, but when it comes to smartphones, RIM remained the leader with 41.6 percent of the smartphone segment in December of 2009. This number was down a full percentage point from September, however, while Apple's share (25.3 percent in December) was up by 1.2 percentage points—a trend that RIM has been battling with Apple for some time now.

Equally fearsome is Google's comparatively huge 2.7 percentage point jump (to 5.2 percent), while both Microsoft and Palm also lost points over the same time period. Although RIM still has a long way to go before giving up the lead to Apple, and Google still has plenty of share to gain before it overtakes Microsoft's number three spot, the trends show that consumers are warming more to the iPhone and Android phones than those traditionally marketed towards enterprise users. (Palm, in the fourth spot at 6.1 percent, looks like it will be surpassed by Google within months if the two companies continue on their current trajectories)

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/2010/02/google-makes-biggest-gain-in-smartphone-market-share.ars

Worked! Thanks.
But it wants me to upgrade to continue and that takes me to the normal site.

Curve 8520

Already on it; having a bit of a problem.

907 Invalid COD
HTTP Error 500: Internal Server Error

Thank You.

So how about our App World work around?

Thank you.
And aren't you Ralvy? I've looking for you,

Despite what the BlackBerry has or what it doesn't have, it does what it does and does that very well. And this is why the BlackBerry is the leading smartphone worldwide in terms of market share.
So yes the HTC Incredible was, and now the iPhone4 is the most technologically advanced phone, but it is the BlackBerry that is recommended by the various National Security Agencies and Private Corporations. It is reliable and secure enough for their national and corporate secrets (and yes Obama uses one).
And so until one of your favorites overtakes BB, it isn't a phone to be dismissed off-hand (although I'll admit RIM has some serious work to do to ensure all your toys stay down were they belong).

About 3,500 tracks

Reminds me of the movie ConAir.
One of the characters returns home to find his wife in bed with another man. He calmly walks out of the house gets into his car and drives several kilometers to her parents' house.
There he shoots and kills her father, mother, siblings and the dog, then hands himself over to the police.

All you need to do is go to your service provider/network and request/subscribe for the BlackBerry Internet Service (BIS). Once you are setup you will be able to use Opera.

The Ag. President's perfomance has disabused our minds of the notion that his rise has it's foundation purely in luck.
He has demonstrated that he possesses the stuff of which great statesmen are made (and not just a few drops).
We pray he turns out to be the messiah we have been waiting for.

Are they doctors? Of what use are their pronoucements on the President's Health.
In my opinion, by their silence they have refused to be used any further as political pawns.
They probably just went there to pray for him. That doesn't give them the right to say what they saw.
It's a little bit like lawyer-client, doctor-patient, priest-penitent relationship.
The FEC and NASS should do their jobs.

Cleopatra inherited a kingdom and oversaw it's capitulation.
She was a great seductress but her actions led to the extinction of her dynasty.

can u plsssssssssss describe in 2 sencences "An ugly chic" ? and I will tel u why u are wrong.

An "ugly chic's" beauty is in the eye of one beholder while a beautiful lady has her beauty in the eye of numerous beholders.(I'm working on the second sentence).

I had the impression technology was what was going to get us to the promised land (in addition changes in our attitude).

Besides,in this region of d world, we have many things to worry about/develop before speaking or calling technology!

I had the impression was what was going to get us to the promise land (in addition changes in our attitude).