A study into how the Pacific Ocean leaks into the Indian Ocean has revealed details which researchers say could improve climate predictions.

This so-called Tasman leakage in the south of Australia is the second-largest link between the Pacific and Indian oceans after the Indonesian through-flow to the country's north, according to an international team led by University of New South Wales.

Water travels through the world's oceans along great loops driven by massive and often deep currents in a process known as the global thermohaline circulation, said the study's lead author, Dr Erik Van Sebille. Acting over millennial time scales, the global thermohaline circulation can exert significant influence on global climate variability.

Because the Tasman leakage acts as a bottleneck in the Pacific-to-Indian flow, changes in this pathway can have significant impact on the global thermohaline circulation, say the researchers.

Additionally, the Tasman leakage could also have a direct effect on both the regional Australian climate and the availability of nutrients in the waters of Great Australian Bight, which in turn could affect marine ecosystems in these areas, the Geophysical Research Letters journal reported. Better understanding of this bottleneck in the global ocean has the potential to improve the accuracy of climate predictions, say the researchers. The team used a high-resolution ocean circulation model to determine how much of the water flowing in the East Australia Current eventually ends up in the Indian Ocean. According to the model, most of the water that runs southward along the coasts of Queensland and New South Wales veers east before reaching Bass Strait and stays within the Pacific Ocean.

The remaining fraction comprising the Tasman leakage continues flowing south, rounds Tasmania and then flows west through the Great Australian Bight until it reaches Cape Leeuwin and enters the Indian Ocean.

Xerox PARC founder Jacob Goldman dies

Jacob E Goldman, a physicist who as Xerox's chief scientist founded the company's vaunted Palo Alto Research Center, which invented the modern personal computer, died Tuesday in Westport, Connecticut. He was 90. The cause was congestive heart failure, his son Melvin said. Emblematic of a time when American corporations invested heavily in basic scientific research, Goldman played an important role both at Ford Motor, in the 1950s, and later at Xerox in the 1960s and 1970s, in financing basic scientific research in an effort to spark corporate innovation.

In the late 1960s, Xerox, then the dominant manufacturer of office copiers, was searching for ways to move into new markets when he proposed an open-ended research laboratory to explore what C Peter McColough, chief executive at the time, called "the architecture of information". Computer systems were still not available in offices at that time, and little was known about the shape of what would come to be called "the office of the future." Xerox had recently acquired Scientific Data Systems, a California computer manufacturer, to compete with IBM in the data-processing market.

At the time, however, computers were largely centralised systems that were not interactive. The minicomputer market was just being pioneered by the Digital Equipment.Xerox did not initially have a grand strategy for entering the computing business, only an inkling that the data processing world was both an opportunity and a potential threat.

"He was the one that made sure that Xerox understood there was a revolution coming behind them that might change their business," said Michael Hiltzik, author of "Dealers of Lightning: Xerox PARC and the Dawn of the Computer Age." Goldman had originally been brought from Ford to Xerox by John Bardeen, who was on the Xerox board and was also a physicist. (He helped invent the transistor at Bell Labs.) Bardeen knew Goldman in part because of his contributions as a corporate science manager and also for running a well-known poker game every year at the American Physical Society meeting, according to his son.

The Xerox laboratory was almost stillborn in 1970 when many of the company's directors resisted the idea of a West Coast center in an area in which the company did not have an active business . It was Bardeen who backed Goldman's early vision and convinced the company to support the venture even though it would not bear fruit any time soon.

"It was Jack who brought the idea back to management that they could not expect to get anything useful for at least five years, but maybe in 10," Hiltzik said. "It was this idea that they did have to look far ahead and nurture research." Established in 1970 in an industrial park next to Stanford, PARC researchers designed a remarkable array of computer technologies, including the Alto personal computer, the Ethernet office network, laser printing and the graphical user interface.

The technologies would later be commercialised by both Apple Computer and Microsoft, among others, and Xerox would be criticised for not capitalising enough on the technologies it had pioneered - for "fumbling the future" . Years later, Goldman explained Xerox's failure to enter the personal computing market early on as part of a large corporations' unwillingness to take risks.

"A big company will not make the investment to bring out a new product unless they see it makes a big difference," he said in a 1988 interview in The New Haven Advocate. "Look at the personal computer industry today. It's a multibilliondollar industry today. And we at Xerox could have had that industry to ourselves." Goldman, who was often called Jack, was born in Brooklyn on July 18, 1921.

His parents, Solomon Goldman, a jeweller, and the former Sarah Goldstein, had immigrated from Russia. Jacob attended Yeshiva University and received a master's degree and his PhD in physics from Pennsylvania.

With expertise in magnetism, he began his career at Westinghouse in 1945, before moving to teach at Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh. Goldman also excelled as a manager. At Ford, which he joined in 1955, he went on to head the company's research and development laboratory.

Under Henry Ford, he was one of the company's first high-ranking Jewish executives, as the company broke with its founder's anti-Semitism . A lifelong Democrat, he resisted a corporate memorandum early on demanding that executives make contributions to the Republican Party, according to his son.

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Ashwini Akkunji and six others get 1 year ban for doping

The high-profile doping scandal that hit Indian athletics earlier this year, took a decisive turn on Friday when six track and field stars were handed one-year bans by a disciplinary panel of the National Anti-Doping Agency ( NADA).

With the bans, quartermilers - Ashwini Akkunji, Jauna Murmu, Mandeep Kaur, Priyanka Panwar, Sini Jose and Tiana Mary Thomas - have effectively been ruled out of the 2012 Olympics, ending India's hopes of a medal in the 4x400 women's relay at the London Games.

The ban comes into effect retrospectively from the date the athletes tested positive. That gives only Mandeep and Murmu a chance of making it to the last Olympic selection trials - the inter-state meet - to be held from June 24 to 27, 2012. Jose and Tiana too can technically still qualify for the London Games, but their chances are extremely dim.

The chief culprit, according to the findings, is Yuri Ogorodnik, the SAI-appointed Ukrainian coach at the National Institute of Sports, Patiala. The batch of the stimulant ginseng he administered to the athletes was found to be 'contaminated' with banned substances.

The quantum of punishment in what is the biggest scandal in Indian track and field comes as a surprise as the ban for first-time offenders as per World Anti-Doping Agency ( WADA) regulations is normally two years (second-time violators are banned for life). Advocate Dinesh Dayal who headed the NADA-instituted panel, handed a reduced sentence since he considered the athletes were not significantly at fault.

"The athletes have been able to establish how the prohibited substance entered their body and that they bear no significant fault or negligence and are entitled a reduction in the period of ineligibility under Article 10.5.2 of the rules," the report said.

Mandeep Kaur reacted to the ban by putting up a brave front. "I have not given up hope. After enduring the worst period of my life I feel I have come out stronger. I have one or two chances left and I want to make them count," she said.

The panel, which also comprised former hockey Olympian Ashok Kumar and Dr NK Khadiya, also banned long-jumper Harikrishanan Muraleedharan for two years after finding anabolic steroids in his samples.

The athletes can appeal against the ban in NADA's appellate authority within two weeks.

The ban would come into effect from the date the athletes were suspended following the doping violations earlier this year.

Murmu and Mandeep were suspended on June 23, Jose and Tiana on June 30, and Akkunji and Panwar on July 4. Their ban would have ended by the time the Olympics begin in London, on July 27.

That, however, does not entitle them for participation in the mega event since barring Mandeep and Murmu, the others would be still serving the ban when the Athletic Association of India (AAI) conducts its last event for selection of athletes for the Olympics at the inter-state meet in Hyderabad from June 24-27, 2012.

According to sources, the AFI was not clear whether Mandeep and Murmu would be fielded in Hyderabad even if their ban would have ended. "I can't say. We will be fielding our best available athletes," he said.

New optical device to boost data processing

A new optical device, tiny enough to fit millions on a computer chip, could catalyse faster, more powerful information processing and supercomputers.

The "passive optical diode" is made from two tiny silicon rings measuring 10 microns across, or about a 10th the width of human hair.

Unlike other optical diodes, it does not require external assistance to transmit signals and can be readily integrated into computer chips.

The diode is capable of "non-reciprocal transmission", meaning it transmits signals in only one direction, making it capable of information processing, said Minghao Qi, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at Purdue, the journal Science .

"This one-way transmission is the most fundamental part of a logic circuit, so our diodes open the door to optical information processing," said Qi, working with a team also led by Andrew Weiner, Purdue professor of electrical and computer engineering, according to a statement.

Although fibre optic cables transmit staggering amounts of data across oceans and continents, information processing is slowed and the data are susceptible to cyber attack when optical signals must be translated into electronic signals for use in computers, and vice versa.

"This translation requires expensive equipment," study co-author Jian Wang said. "What you'd rather be able to do is plug the fibre directly into computers with no translation needed, and then you get a lot of bandwidth and security."

EU to charge green tax from airlines

The European Union plans to charge a green tax on flights to the US from Jan 1.

The move is part of a carbon-trading rule on airlines using EU airports. A family of four now faces an extra charge of 80 pounds to fly to the US after the Brussels ruling on carbon emissions.

This comes on top of plans to increase air passenger duty departure levy from April, the Daily Express reported.

The EU carbon-trading rule is designed to curb emissions of carbon dioxide from aircraft engines. Each airline will be allocated pollution permits slightly less than its average emissions record for previous years.

If it exceeds its limit it can buy permits from other airlines that have emitted less than allowed and have leftover permits to sell.

The aim is to persuade or force airlines to emit less carbon by upgrading their fleets or becoming more efficient, the newspaper added. On Wednesday, the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg - the highest EU court - ruled the tax can be implemented.

Environmentalists have hailed the new law as the first step in controlling carbon emissions in a key economic sector, and EU officials said they expected all airlines to comply.

All revenue derived by the EU from the programme will go towards fighting climate change.

Anna Hazare to fast at Mumbai's MMRDA ground despite Bombay HC criticism

Hazare  made it clear that he will go ahead with his three-day fast in Mumbai from December 27 at MMRDA ground for which he will organise the Rs 7 lakh rent through donations as the Bombay High Court rejected a petition seeking discounted rates for the protest venue.

"MMRDA will give some concessions and the ground hire cost will be Rs 7 lakh. The donations will be accepted only by cheque and draft. We will also keep tab on the donors," he said in Ralegan Siddhi.

Hazare said his close aides Arvind Kejriwal and Kiran Bedi will join him in his fast in Mumbai while another group of activists will go on hunger strike in Delhi in support for a strong Lokpal bill.

He said it was wrong on part of his supporters to approach the court seeking concession for the venue and that if they had sought his opinion, he would not have allowed them to seek judicial intervention.

"Azad Maidan's area is not enough. MMRDA has said they would reduce the rent. They said if your organisation is registered, then we will reduce the rate. People have already offered to donate Rs one-two lakh. If people are ready to donatre and MMRDA is ready to reduce the rent, I asked them (supporters) to take it," Hazare told reporters.

Anna's satyagraha could be nuisance for others: HC

Coming down heavily on Team Anna's agitation, the Bombay high court on Friday said it can't allow "parallel canvassing" when Parliament is seized with debate on Lokpal bill and questioned its decision to seek exemption from charges to use MMRDA grounds for Anna Hazare's proposed fast.

The court refused to interfere in the matter, saying it cannot ask government authorities (MMRDA) to grant them exemption.

"It is not judicable. If we pass an order allowing your petition then even we will be interfering with the functioning of Parliament," a division bench of justices P B Majmudar and Mridula Bhatkar observed.

"We can't allow parallel canvassing when Parliament is seized with debate on the bill. You can propagate the bill sitting at home. Till now the bill has not been passed. No one knows what form and what features it will have. Is public debate permissible at this stage?," the court asked.

The court was hearing a petition filed by Jagrut Nagrik Manch, affiliated to Anna Hazare's India Against Corruption, seeking direction to government to allot the MMRDA ground in suburban Bandra-Kurla Complex either for free or at a concessional rate.

Disapproving of the agitation despite the Lokpal Bill being tabled in Parliament, Justice Majmudar asked, "How is country's interest involved? We are a democratic set up. We have elected a government. Wouldn't your agitation interfere in the functioning of Parliament? The bill will be debated in Parliament where our elected representatives will plead our case".

The court further said that as judges they have taken an oath to uphold the Constitution and law. "Under which law are you (petitioner) asking for exemption? It might be Satyagraha for you but for some other factions it might be a nuisance," it said.

The bench, however, asked Maharashtra government to inform whether it was ready to open the gates at Azad Maidan, the second option available for holding the fast from December 27, to allow Team Anna to have access to a larger area.

When the counsel for the petitioner informed the court that they have got permission for holding the fast in Delhi's Ramlila Maidan, the court said,"If Ramlila Ground is available, why don't you hold fast there."