Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Science Report Compilation-Sri Kant Yadav
Science Report Compilation-Sri Kant Yadav
There are silver socks also made of natural silver metal fibers to keep the feet warm and
cozy. These are ideal for those whose skin has loosened and who suffer from cold feet
problem.
Diabetics are generally advised to put on densely padded socks. These padded acrylic
socks reduce the amount of moisture produced, thus preventing blistering.
Diabetics who have jobs that involve frequent outside movement or those taking vigorous
exercises should wear padded acrylic socks. Those whose feet perspire excessively are
also advised to wear socks of acrylic blending because acrylic fibers are good at wicking
the moisture. Comfortable sizes of co& on or wool socks can also be used as these fibers
are breathable.
Diabetics should wear socks that are comfortable, well-fitting, and with no constricting cuff s
or lumps or any kind of uncomfortable seams.
On 7 July 2013, Opportunity celebrated the tenth anniversary of its launch and had spent
nine years roving the red sands of Mars and s, ll making discoveries! The milestone
occurred on 15 May 2013, when the rover drove 80 metres, bringing its total odometry
35.760 kilometres or 22.220 miles.
The previous mark had been held by the Apollo 17 moon rover, which astronauts Gene
Cernan and Harrison Schmi3 drove for 35.74 km (22.21 miles) across the lunar surface in
December 1972.
Over the years, Opportunity has been photographing and sampling the Mar, an landscape.
The surface of Mars of today is bone dry and hos, le to life as we know it. Opportunitys
mission is to hunt for places where it wasnt always so, places where ancient water might
have nourished life forms na, ve to Mars.
The rover has found abundant evidence that liquid water was once present.
For the past 20 months, Opportunity has been working the rim of Endeavour Crater.
There, Opportunity found deposits of gypsum probably formed from groundwater seeping
up through cracks in Mar, an soil. It has also found signs of clay minerals in a rock named
Esperance.
The rover is currently en route to Solander Point, a place on the rim of Endurance Crater
where a treasure-trove of geological layers is exposed for investigate, on. A visit to
Solander Point will be like reading a Mar, an history book.
Besides, there are north-facing slopes at Solander Point where the rover can , lt its solar
panels toward the sun and ride out the coming winter. The minimum-sunshine days of this
sixth Mar, an winter for Opportunity will come in February 2014.
Pierre Deligne of the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, New Jersey, USA has been
awarded this years Abel Prize known as the Nobel Prize in mathematics.
The prize carries a cash award of 1 million US dollars and a citation. The prize has gone to
Deligne for seminal contributions to algebraic geometry and for their transformative impact
on number theory, representation theory, and related fields.
Pierre Deligne played a crucial role in developing algebraic geometry, which now has deep
connections with almost every area of mathematics.
However, his most significant contribution is the spectacular solution of the last and deepest
of Weil conjectures, namely the analogue of the Riemann hypothesis for algebraic varieties
over a finite field.
The issue of the Weil conjectures is the so called zeta functions, which are mathematical
constructions that keep track of the number of solutions of an equation, in different number
systems. Weil said that the conjectural statements are true for curves meaning that they are
true for equations in two unknowns. However, varieties which are referred to as higher
dimensions, correspond to equations in three or more unknowns.
The Weil conjectures are formulated in four statements. He himself had proved those in
case of curves. For more general equations, three of the four statements were proved by
other mathematicians. The last statement, analogous to the Riemann hypothesis and
considered to be the most difficult one was proved by Pierre Deligne in 1974.
Some types of mathematical tools were developed in the 1920s and 1930s to understand
and systematize knowledge about geometric structures and shapes. These were called
cohomology.
When the conjectures were announced it was clear that these would prove to be true if one
could find a certain type of cohomology called Weil cohomology. Weil had no suggestion on
how to define those. However, he knew what type of cohomology should have proved the
Weil conjectures.
In 1960, Alexander Grothendieck introduced the concept of etale cohomology. He
proposed that it should play the role of the mysterious, unknown but essential Weil
cohomology. However, Grothendieck could not prove that etale cohomology can satisfy the
requirements of Weil cohomology. Pierre Deligne succeeded in this task.
There are four main types of thyroid cancer papillary, follicular, anaplastic and medullary
thyroid carcinoma.
Each tumor type has its own predilection for metastatic spreadPapillary carcinoma, which occurs between second and third decades of life, is most
common (70-80%), with a 3:1 female preponderance and is derived from thyroid follicular
cells. It t ends t o spread via the lymphatics to the lymph nodes, and is most responsive to
treatment and cure.
Follicular carcinoma, which tends to occur in older patients, also comes from thyroid
follicular cells and makes up 10-15% of thyroid cancers, with a 2:1 female preponderance.
Anaplastic carcinoma tends to present in patients in the sixth and seventh decades. It is
uncommon, comprising of less than 10% of thyroid cancers, with a slight (1.5:1) male
preponderance.
Medullary carcinoma makes up 5-10% of all thyroid cancers, and arises from parafollicular
or C-cells that produce calcitonin.
Regenerative Medicine
The Future of Treatment
Regenerative medicine is an emerging interdisciplinary field of research and clinical applications
focused on the repair, replacement or regeneration of cells, tissues, or organs. By using a
combination of several technologies, it aims at restoring impaired function resulting from any
cause, including congenital defects, disease, and trauma. These approaches may include, but are
not limited to, the use of stem cells, soluble molecules, genetic engineering, tissue engineering,
and advanced cell therapy.
This new field of regenerative medicine encompasses many novel approaches to treatment of
disease and restoration of biological function through the following methods:
a) Using therapies that prompt the body to autonomously regenerate damaged tissues
b) Using tissue-engineered implants to prompt regeneration and
c) Direct transplantation of healthy tissues into damaged environments.
The main advantage of regenerative medicine over current therapies is that:
c blood disorders
Bluetooth:
Bluetooth is a short-range wireless technology that allows computers, phones and other
devices to talk to each other over short distances (up to 100 meters).
Bluetooth uses radio waves (in the 2.4 Gigahertz range) and is designed to be a secure
and inexpensive way of connecting and exchanging information between devices without
wires.
It is also being used for connecting and transferring information between devices such as
mobile phones, laptops, PCs, PDAs, printers, digital cameras, mouse and keyboards.
The name comes from the ancient King Harald Blatan of Denmark (Blatan in Danish
translates to blue tooth in English). Sweden-based telecom company Ericsson developed
the technology and was co-founder in 1998 of the Bluetooth Special Interest Group
governing body (www.bluetooth.com). Bluetooth is also standardized as an IEEE wireless
personal area network.
ASR:
The Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) technology converts a speech signal into a text
message transcription of the spoken words.
When a speaker utters a stream of words, usually interspersed with pauses and utterances
like uhh and umm, the software produces a speech waveform representing the words of
the sentence as well as the extra sounds and pauses in the spoken input.
Global Positioning System, or GPS, is one of the most widely used technologies in the
communication world.
GPS navigational systems are supported by a network of 27 satellites, which orbits the
Earth in a cyclic pattern every twenty-four hours.
At any given time, signals from a minimum of four satellites are accessible to any one point
on Earth. Whenever a receiver device is activated, radio waves are sent out. A receivers
exact location is determined through a process called triangulation where three satellites
work together to track down possible location points, while a fourth satellite compiles the
data and picks out the exact location. Distance calculations are made based on how long it
takes the radio signals to travel back and forth between the receiver and the satellites.
A GPS tracking system uses the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) network.
This network includes a range of satellites that uses microwave signals that are being
transmitted to GPS devices to give information on location, vehicle speed, time and
direction.
So, a GPS tracking system has a potential to provide the real-time and past navigation data
on any kind of journey.
2G:
2G signifies wireless digital technology that replaced analog 1G, and includes FDMA
(Frequency Division Multiple Access), TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access) and CDMA
(Code Division Multiple Access).
All types have one common feature of multiple access which means that many users are
able to use the same number of cells.
2G started working with GSM (Global System for Mobile) standard as a communication
medium. In addition to the GSM protocol, 2G also utilizes various other digital protocols
including CDMA, TDMA iDEN and PDC. GSM is based on TDMA.
2G technology holds sufficient security for both the sender and the receiver due to digital
encryption of messages. The use of 2G technology requires strong digital signals and good
network coverage to help mobile phones work.
3G:
3G networks are built to handle the needs of todays wireless users, with faster datatransmission speeds, greater network capacity and more advanced network services.
3G technology was also known as CDMA Wireless technology. It is the first wireless
technology that provides broadband-speed Internet connection on mobile phones.
The main advantage of 3G networks over 2G networks is speed. Technically, the main
difference that distinguishes 3G technology from 2G technology is the use of packet
switching rather than circuit switching for data transmission. Later 3G technology began to
be implemented, namely High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA).
4G:
The objective of 4G is to become a fully IP-based system, much like a modern computer
network.
The supposed speeds for 4G will be higher that 3G, and can provide Internet speeds up to
1 GBPS! One of the main ways in which 4G differs technologically from 3G is that circuit
switching will be eliminated, and an all-IP network will be implemented in its place.
4G will be able to overcome the problems of weak network strength and should provide a
much wider network, making sure that the users get high-speed connectivity anytime
anywhere.
A High Altitude Cloud Physics Laboratory, the first of its kind in India, has been established
at the famous hill station of Mahabaleshwar in the Western Ghats range near Pune.
It will start collecting data in the current monsoon season.
S.N. Bose
Satyendra Nath Bose was a physicist, specializing in mathematical physics and has been in
the news recently after the discovery of the Higgs boson was announced.
He is best known for his work on quantum mechanics providing the foundation for BoseEinstein statistics and the theory of the Bose-Einstein condensate.
A group of particles obeying Bose Einstein statistics are known as Bosons.
Homi Jehangir Bhabha was a nuclear physicist who played a major role in the development
of the Indian atomic energy programme and is considered to be the father of Indias nuclear
programme.
After his death, the Atomic Energy Establishment was renamed as the Bhabha Atomic
Research Centre in his honour. Bhabha also encouraged research in electronics, space
science, radio astronomy and microbiology.
Vikram A. Sarabhai
S. Ramanujan
A paper published in Geophysical Research Letters describes the role that beavers play in
climate change. The lead author Dr. Ellen Wohl, a geology professor at Colorado State
University is trying to understand how carbon is sequestered when beavers build dams, and
released after the beavers abandon their dams.
When trees die and decompose, carbon stored in the wood is released into the
atmosphere.
In a field study in Colorados Rocky Mountain National Park, Wohl took samples from areas
known as beaver meadows, the land that has become submerged or wet due to dams
backing up flowing rivers or streams. She collected 29 sediment samples from the wet
areas around 27 streams in the park. The sediment was found to be harboring 12% carbon
by weight.
These results are in stark contrast to sediment samples the collected last year in beaver
meadows where the dams had been abandoned allowing the land to dry, which had a
carbon content of just 3.3%. Wood buried beneath water and sediment decays more slowly
than wood left on dry land.
Thus, by building dams, beavers cause the carbon in the wood to be sequestered for a
period of time.
Wohls data suggests that if all the beaver meadow land now dried due to abandoned dams
were still wet, the amount of additional carbon sequestered would add up to 2.7 million
metric tons. Much of that carbon was released in the year shortly after the North American
continent was colonizedtrappers significantly reduced the population of beavers leaving
millions of dams abandoned.
Carbon sequestered by beaver dams hardly registers on a global scale of course almost
ten billion tons of it is added to the atmosphere worldwide each year. Dr. Wohls study
shows that at least some of emissions can come from some surprising places.
A new tent has been jointly developed by Eddie Bauer who specializes in tents and Goal
Zero, a solar power company called as Solar Powered Katabatic 2 Tent it has been
designed for people who love the outdoors but who have problems finding a way to
recharge their electronic gadgets.
The tent 92 inches (2.34 metres) tall covers 36 square feet (3.34 sq metres) of space, and
has a small triangular shaped solar panel called Goal Zero Solar charger which can power
many devices.
The new tend will be useful not only for people who want to camp outdoors but will prove
valuable for mountaineers camping on steep mountain sides, for researchers working in the
Arctic or Antarctic conditions, deep forests, jungles, swamps, on archaeological sites and
other remote locations.
passed through filter or fine piece of cloth and stored in capped bottles at 4 0C. The taste of
kombucha changes during fermentation from a pleasant fruit sour-like lightly sparkling flavor
after a few days, to a mild vinegar-like taste with prolonged incubation.
Kombucha has a strong anti-microbial property along with its antioxidant potential. Most
properties of kombucha are attributes to the acidic composition of the beverage. Its
detoxifying property is presumably due to the capacity of glucoronic acid to bind to toxin
molecules and to increase their excretion from the organism by the kidneys or the intestine
providing relief in gout, rheumatism, arthritis or kidney stones.
The cellulosic pollicle formed mainly by Acetobacter xylinum during the fermentation of tea
has been used as a temporary skin substitute on burns and in other skin injuries. A recent
study reported the antibiotic activity of kombucha against Helicobacter pylori, Eschyerichia
coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Agrobacterium tumefaciens mainly related to the acetic
acid produced during the fermentation.
Game Theory
Game theory is a classic mathematical model of analyzing real world problems. It was
proposed by legendary mathematician Dr. John von Neumann.
It is one of the most important tools used by corporations, governments, militaries and
computer game designers these days for strategic decision making in real life as well as
real life-like situations.
Game theory is called into play whenever there are several players whose actions are
interdependent.
It is the genesis of revolutionary changes in economic theory, the study of evolution and
biology and has recently been applied in the automobile industry as well. The fields of
sociology and psychology also have dedicated streams for creating datasets using game
theory.
The key aspects of game theory revolve around identification of process participants, their
various quantifiable options (choices), consideration of their preferences and subsequent
reactions. If all these factors are carefully thought of, then the task of modeling the problem
by game theory along with identifications of all possible situations becomes easier.
Think of coalition political parties tussling over power sharing in government.
Cooperative Game Theory is often used in politics and international relations because,
invariably, power plays a big role in determining the strength of a nation. The neoliberation
in international relations has greatly benefitted from game theory.
The mathematical theory of games was first developed by John von Neumann and Oskar
Morgenstern in the 1940s, but its applicability was limited to parlor games.
John Nash, the subject of the 2001 Oscar-winning movie A Beautiful Mind transformed
game theory into a more general tool that enabled the analysis of win-win and lose-lose
scenarios, as well as win-lose situations. Nash enabled game theory to address a central
question: should we compete or cooperate?
Game Theory remains at the cutting edge of economic theory, with game theorists winning
the Noble Prize in Economics in 1994, 1996, 2005, 2007 and 2012. For his path-breaking
dissertation that revolutionized economics and many other disciplines, John Nash won the
Nobel in 1994, along with game theorists John Harsanyi and Reinhard Selten.
William Vickrey won the Noble in 1996 for his pioneering, work in incentives, asymmetric
information, and auction theory, all crucial to the advance of effective strategy in a world of
influence like chess, football, military strategy and business.
Thomas Schelling and Robert Aumann won the 2005 Nobel for the game-theoretic work in
conflict and cooperation, including contributions on credible commitments and repeated
games. In the committees worlds, such contributions have made Game Theory the
dominant approach to the analysis of conflict and cooperation.
Leonid Hurwicz, Eric Maskin and Roger Myerson won the 2007 Nobel prize for their work in
mechanism design theory, a branch of game theory that extends the application of game
theory to how different types of rules, or institutions, align individual incentives with overall
social goals. Their work on allocation mechanisms has had a significant impact on the
design of auctions, social welfare systems and many organizations.
Most recently, in 2013, the Nobel was awarded to Lloyd Shapley and Alvin Roth for their
work using Game Theory for economic engineering. Both addressed how to match different
agents as well as possible. Shapely used cooperative game theory to study and compare
different matching methods. Roth built on Shapleys theoretical work by showing empirically
the conditions for the functioning of important markets in practice, and he demonstrated that
stability is the key to understanding the success of particular market institutions.
Another form of Game Theory is the Coalitional model, where the payoffs of a group or
coalition take precedence over individual players payoff. Assume a recently concluded
election in which no individual political party has majority to form a government.
This model can actually analyse and find the best group or coalition so that the payoffs are
maximized. This is different from co-operative model in the sense that here even a small
individual political party can enjoy more power and influence than a larger party. The only
thing that is never disclosed is the process of negotiations by which the individual players
formed a group of coalition.
Many Public Relation agencies, marketing firms and direct selling firms use elements of
Game Theory to narrow down their target consumer base. It improves their focus area by
giving a relatively clearer picture of the methods that can be employed to deal with
customers.
An international program run by the US secret service agencies known as Prism uses a
software model based on Game Theory to ascertain predictability of terrorist activities,
identities and their possible locations. The program gathers data from numerous sources
such as international Internet gateways, satellites, social networking sites, emails, chats
and messengers. The data is then fed into the program to create a spectrum of information
about possible terrorist attacks in USA and elsewhere.
The Game Theory is criticized for being a limiting factor in expanding ones vision and
intuitiveness. Not to forget the fact that Game Theory largely bases its results in an isolated
environment where only the players participating in the game are considered to be solely
responsible for the outcome of the game. Evolutionary scientists and many physicists also
claim that the Game Theory works largely against the basic principles of human and
universal evolution. According to them, the existence of over billion living species of
differing characteristics is a classic example which defies rationality at its best.
Criticism notwithstanding, the game theory is regarded as extremely useful by researchers
in political science.
Useful our useless, the debate continues as do developments in this field of applied
mathematics. This is also a fairly large group of supporters who claim to have benefitted
from Game Theory.
CSIR @ 70
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research was constituted in September 1942 as an
autonomous body registered under the Registration of Societies Act XXI of 1860.
The Achievements
1950s
The indelible ink, a tool to prevent voting by the same person more than once, has
become the mark of elections in India.
It was developed in 1952 by the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), and subsequently
licensed to the state-run Mysore Paints and Varnish Limited, Mysore, which is the sole
supplier of indelible ink to the Election Commission of India.
The firm also supplies the indelible ink to countries like Nepal, Cambodia, Turkey, South
Africa, Nigeria and others.
1960s
Optical glass is used in lenses and prisms in a wide range of scientific, photographic and
survey instruments.
The manufacture of optical glass was a closely guarded secret and India had to import it at
expensive prices. A special assignment given to Central Glass and Ceramic Research
Institute (CGCRI) by the Planning Commission was to work out the process technology for
the production of optical glass.
CGCRI succeeded in understanding the design and fabrication of the required equipment
without any foreign collaboration. Its 10-tonne capacity pilot plant went into production in
1961.
A wind tunnel is used in aircraft design to study the effects of air moving past solid objects.
It comprises of a closed tubular passage, in which the aircraft fitted with appropriate
sensors is subjected to airflow. National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) established a
trisonic wind tunnel in the 1960s to catalyze aerospace research and through its 17
scholarly journals and two abstracting journals; taking science to the people through its
three popular science magazines, and providing information on plant, animal and mineral
wealth of the country.
1970s
Mechanization of agriculture played an important role in making India self sufficient in food
grains.
Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (CMERI) made its contribution to this
end with the SWARAJ, a 20 HP tractor, which was first licensed to Punjab Tractor Limited
in 1974.
CSIRs latest contribution to Indian agriculture is SONALIKA, a 60 HP tractor.
In the late 1970s, Indian Institute of Petroleum (IIP) developed Nutan, with funding and
marketing support from Indian Oil Corporation (IOC).
Launched in the Indian market in 1977, Nutan revolutionized smokeless cooking and
reduced fuel requirement by 25%. Nutan is still considered an efficient cooking appliance in
the kerosene stove market.
Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (CMERI) came up with a solution to
providing water in villages with technology that was simple, easy to operate and maintain
with the India Mark II pump. Made of non-corrosive nonmetallic parts, the low-cost pump
has been successful not only in rural India, but several other nations too.
1980s
In the 1980s India was importing computing power from other nations. In one instance,
when the US government refused to supply a Cray supercomputer to India in 1986,
scientists from the National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) built their own supercomputer.
They connected several computers in parallel to create Flosolver, Indias first parallel
computer. Flosolver was used to aid research in fluid dynamics and aeronautics, and its
success triggered other successful parallel computing projects in the country such as
PARAM.
1990s
CSIRs National Aerospace Laboratories designed and developed Hansa, Indias first allcomposite two-seater trainer aircraft. About 10 Hansa aircraft have already taken to the
skies.
Bamboo flowers only once during its lifetime and that too just once in seven to a hundred
years depending on the species the flowering is called gregarious flowering because all
the bamboo clumps flower at the same time. The plants die after flowering. In 1990, CSIR
scientists created history when they made bamboo flowering within weeks possible by
using tissue culture technologies.
CSIR challenged the US patent granted to the wound healing properties of turmeric in
1995, which has been known in India for centuries.
In 1997, India won the patent battle and turmeric patent was revoked. This became a
landmark case, setting a precedent for challenging patents based on traditional knowledge.
CSIR also won a patent battle on Basmati rice.
Based on these experiences, CSIR developed a digital archive of Indian traditional
knowledge the Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL).
A Traditional Knowledge Resource Classification (TKRC) has already been accepted by
170 member nations of the International Patent Classification (IPC) Union of the World
Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
2000s
National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) took a bow when the Light Combat aircraft (LCA)
soared onto the skies for the first time in 2001.
NAL also developed SARAS, the 14-seater twin-engine turboprop aircraft with a maximum
speed of over 600 km/hour, which made its maiden flight on 22 August 2004.
Project LaCONES is aimed at the conservation of endangered animals through the use of
biotechnological intervention.
This initiative of unmatched scale anywhere in the world was proposed by CSIR with the
help of the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and the Central Zoo Authority of India (CZA)
in 1998.
Central Glass & Ceramic Research Institute (CGCRI) in collaboration with Network
Systems Technology (NeST), developed a product called ERBIUM doped Fibre Amplifier
(EDFA).
The amplifier is a key component of cable TV networks and restores energy loss during
transmission and ensures high quality picture, sound and connectivity. EDFA is expected to
help in implementing Fibre to the Home technology in future. The EDFA is commercially
viable in national and international markets.
The Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB) achieved completion of the first
ever Human Genome Sequencing of an anonymous healthy Indian citizen.
India is now in the league of countries that have demonstrated the capability to sequence
and assemble complete human genomes like United States, China, Canada, United
Kingdom, and Korea.
SOLECKSHAW, an eco friendly tricycle, has been developed by a team of scientists at
CMERI, Durgapur. Driven partly by pedal and partly by electric power supplied by a battery
that is charged from solar energy, this three-wheeler rickshaw requires lesser driving effort
than normal rickshaws leading to increased earning for rickshaw pullers.
Just as the INS Vikramaditya defends the nation, technologies developed at the Central
Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) feed them. The naval ship is now equipped
with six dosa and three idli-making machines. CFTRI is the only R&D institute that has
designed dosa and idli making machines in India.
CSIR Firsts
XNA
Synthetic biologists from MRC laboratory under the leadership of Vitor Pinheiro and Philip
Hollinger have developed six alternative polymers called XNAs that can also store genetic
information, replicate and evolve like the genetic systems consisting of DNA and RNA.
The X in XNA stands for xeno a Latin prefix that means exotic or foreign. Scientists have
used this term to indicate the synthetic nature of these molecules that one of the
ingredients typically found in the building blocks that make up RNA and DNA has been
replaced by something different from what occurs naturally.
Strands of DNA and RNA are formed by joining together individual structural units called
nucleotides. A nucleotide in turn is made up of two units a nucleoside and a phosphate
group.
Synthetic Life: It is believed that XNAs might, in the future, help in the creation of synthetic
genetic systems based on alternative chemical latforms, and hence entirely synthetic
alternative novel forms of life that will not require DNA or RNA for functioning.
Origin of Life: It is also assumed that XNAs and their enzymes might shed light on the
origin of life and provide an answer to why life as we know it is based on the dominance of
only two molecules DNA and RNA.
Medicine and Therapeutics: Medicine, too, could benefit from XNAs because of their nonbiodegradable nature.
Generally biomolecules like RNA, DNA, enzymes and antibodies are used as therapeutics,
diagnostics and in biosensing applications.
A few years ago, meat and poultry industries were rudely shocked at the outbreaks of mad
cow disease and bird flu. At the same time demand for healthy meat is growing.
A global survey says that Chinas meat demand is doubling every ten years and
consumption of poultry products in India has doubled in the last five years.
It is estimated that worlds meat consumption would double by 2050 and there would not be
enough livestock to meet this demand.
Is there any alternative to the disease-prone, farm-based meat production? Scientists feel
that in the long run cultured meat, that is, meat grown in the laboratory may be the answer.
The production of cultured meat begins by taking a few satellite cells from a farm animal
and multiplying them in a liquid medium that provides glucose, amino acids, minerals,
vitamins, etc. They are then attached to a scaffold and grown in stationary or rotating
bioreactors for further proliferation and differentiation. Two types of scaffolds, made out of
edible material such as collagen, have been designed. One of them is a grooved biofilm
and the other comprises of porous micro spheres.
This technology has a number of advantages. In theory, cells taken out from a hand full of
animals without sacrificing them could produce the worlds meat supply.
Currently, farm animals are inhumanly bred for the sole purpose of making them as fat as
possible. New born calves are separated from their mothers, deliberately made anemic,
denied roughage, kept stacked like mailbags in stalls so narrow that they cannot move.
In USA alone 9 billion animals are killed every year to produce meat! In vitro meat
production puts an end to all such cruelty. Furthermore, the meat produced will be free from
animal infections caused by Salmonella, Campylobacter, E. coli, and so on.
Add to this the direct environmental impact of farming animals for food the cropland,
water and pesticides for growing farm feeds, the input required to house, transport and
slaughter animals.
In fact, breeding animals for meat is considered to be one of the most energy inefficient
processes. Farm animals will have skin, legs, bones, digestive organs, etc which are not
edible and are thrown out as waste. They also produce a significant amount of greenhouse
gases.
The nutritional value of the meat can be more easily controlled. Most meats are high in
the fatty acid omega-6, which causes high cholesterol and other health problems. With in
vitro meat one can replace the fat cells with those that produce omega-3, which is healthy
fat.
The technology, however, is not ready to place a piece of steak on the dinner plate.
Hamburgers and sausages are processed meat. The greater challenge is to produce highly
structured meat like steak, chicken breast etc.
One of the approaches would be to seed the bioreactor with small tissue explants, like
growing crystals in a physics laboratory, to grow thick, structured muscle chunks. Explants
have the advantage of containing, in the right proportion, all types of cells composing
muscle.
However, the biggest problem is in ensuring constant supply of nutrients to the growing cell
mass, without which the cells will die.
Another important aspect is cost of production. The organization known as People for
Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has announced a prize of US$ one million for anyone
who can develop a commercially viable procedure for in vitro meat production.
Gravitational Waves:
Gravitational Waves (GWs) akin to the electro-magnetic waves, have been detected from
the Universe. The GWs are emitted by gravitating bodies in motion, such as two black
holes spiraling towards each other in a binary orbit in the cosmos.
Gravitational Waves are extremely difficult to detect, and although they were predicted
about one hundred years ago, till today they have not been seen in experiments, physicists
say.
The experimental discovery of gravitational waves will open an extraordinary new window in
astronomy.
In the International System of Units, which is used all over the globe, the base unit of mass
is the kilogram. It is defined as the mass of an object known as the International Prototype
Kilogram (IKP), which is carefully preserved since 1889 at the International Bureau for
Weights and Measures (BIPM in French) in France.
The IPK, colloquially known as the Le Grand K, is an alloy of 90% platinum and 10%
iridium, machined into a right circular cylinder of 39.17 mm diameter and equal height.
India has one such standard, kept at the CSIR-National Physical Laboratory (CSIR-NPL).
One of the most important requirements of a base standard is that it remains stable over
time.
To check its stability, once every few decades scientists clean it by rubbing lightly with a
soft leather cloth soaked in equal parts of ether and ethanol, followed by steam cleaning
with distilled water. Then it is put in a precise balance known as a comparator to compare
its mass with the Bureaus official copies, which are cleaned the same way.
Scientists who have measured the IPK and its official copies say the difference in mass
among them is less than that of a grain of sand!
There are other compelling reasons for redefining the kilogram on the basis of a
fundamental constant of nature. The definitions of a number of other SI Units are directly or
indirectly dependent on the stability of the kilogram.
For example, newton is defined as the amount of force necessary to accelerate a mass of
one kilogram at one meter per second square. Any instability in the kilogram will
proportionately destabilize the newton. The SI unit of pressure pascal and joule the SI
Unit of energy are defined in terms of newton.
The International Committee on Weights and Measures recommended in 2005 that the
kilogram be redefined on the basis of a fundamental constant.
With these requirements in view, several new definitions have been proposed. Two
fundamental constants that have been considered are Avogadro constant and Planck
constant. In the redefine the kilogram in terms of Planck constant.
Both the National Physical Laboratory, UK and the National Institute of Standards
Technology, USA have developed an equipment known as watt balance, capable of
delineating kilogram in terms of Planck constant. Rather than weighing one mass against
another, such a balance weighs an object against the amount of electromagnetic force
needed to balance the object against gravitational pull.
The final decision on redefinition of kilogram will be taken in the next meeting of the
General Conference of Weights and Measures scheduled for 2014.
The dissemination of kilogram will no longer depend upon the stability of the kilogram
prototypes. Instead, close approximation to mass standards would simply be weighed and
documented as being equal to one kilogram plus/minus some offset value.
It is not just the kilogram, but other units like the ampere, the mole and the kelvin are also
likely to be redefined in the coming years.
Meter
Diffraction
When a wave hits an object, they cannot reach the region immediately behind that object.
Shadows are formed due to this. Since the waves of light are blocked, the region
immediately behind the object is darker.
But shadows are sharper close to an object than they are further from it. This is due to
diffraction.
Waves that pass the object change their direction of travel slightly. The wave that just
missed the object spreads in a circle or sphere, into the space behind the object.
This is why shadows become more blurred further away from the object that casts them.
Eventually the spherically spreading waves from each edge of the obstacle may even meet
up.
The indigenous Airborne Early Warning & Control (AEW&C) System programme got a
boost when a major milestone was achieved when the first aircraft fully modified by M/s
EMBRAER with more than 300 mission system items supplied by Centre for Airborne
System (CABS), landed in Bangalore at the HAL Airport on 22 August 2012.
The indigenous AEW&C System is a multisensory system providing for all aspects of
Airborne Early Warning & Control in todays defence scenario.
The Indian subcontinent witnessed about a months delayed arrival of monsoon in 2012.
During the first decade of this twenty first century all the species of this globe are suffering
from extreme climatic impacts (heat wave, coldest winter, drought, flood, water scarcity
etc.). Scientists are explaining these effects as a result of Global Warming caused due
uncontrolled burning of fossil fuels.
But all the environmental phenomena cannot be explained only by Global Warming. Some
of these events can be accounted for by Global Dimming too.
In 1985, an English scientist Gerald Stanhill working in the Agricultural Research
Organisation, Israel had noticed about 22% drop in sunlight in Israel compared to that in
1950. This made Stanhill coin the term Global Dimming, which contrasts interestingly with
the term Global Warming.
The amount of average solar energy reaching the earths surface has been observed
to have dropped by more than 10% in the last six decades due to blockage by
suspended air particulate materials. The effect of Global Dimming varies from place to
place; for example, 9% in Antarctica, 10% in the USA, 16% in parts of British Isles, 30% in
Russia (formerly Soviet Union) and 37% in Hong Kong from 1950 to 1990.
The reasons for Global Dimming are:
air pollution, particle-seeded water vapour present in the cloud, contrails (vapour produced
by aeroplanes), smog formation, volcanic eruption, meteorite hitting etc. Clouds and
suspended nanoparticles in the air block a portion of solar energy before reaching the
earths surface.
Scientists observed no heat reflection during the aftermath of the U.S. 9/11 attacks, when
all the aeroplanes were grounded for three days.
This suggests that contrails are responsible for Global Dimming. Temperature rose by about
one degree Celsius during those three days. It is to be noted that the visible and infrared
radiations seem to be more affected than ultraviolet radiation.
A 3% reduction of solar energy every year might cause complete darkness in about 330
years.
Global Dimming is now being considered responsible for the droughts in sub-Saharan
Africa during the 1970s and 1980s. Darkness due to meteorite impact on earth even
caused the extinction of dinosaurs.
Ripening of crops may be affected in the cloudy areas and an equal percentage of drop in
productivity may take place with the percentage drop of solar radiation. Oceans get
shielded from getting full energy from sun and that might affect on the global rainfall pattern.
Global Dimming is a surface and near surface phenomena while Global Warming is an
entirely atmospheric phenomenon.
Methods of Algaculture
1. Batch Culture: A batch culture is used for small volumes of cultivation space, usually upto ten
litres. It is a system where the total culture is harvested and used as a food.
2. Semi-Continuous culture: A semicontinuous culture is a system where part of the culture is
harvested and used as food and the amount taken is replaced with fresh culture medium. After
allowing 2-3 days for the remaining cells to grow and divide, the process is repeated.
Semicontinuous cultures may be operated for 7 to 8 weeks.
3. Continuous Culture: A continuous culture is more long term, and is maintained by monitoring
and keeping some factor constant.
Environments for Algaculture
Cultivation of Algae in Open Ponds Open ponds can be categorized into natural waters (lakes,
lagoons, ponds) and artificial ponds or containers. The most commonly used systems include
shallow big ponds, tanks, circular ponds and raceway ponds.
Central Zoo Authority
The Government of India took a policy decision in 1988 that the main objective of the management
of zoos in India would be conservation.
Captive breeding of endangered species and creation of empathy towards wildlife would be the
main goals to be achieved. Recreation would be encouraged only to the extent that it is consistent
with the conservation objective.
Consequently, the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) was set up in 1992 as a statutory body under the
Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India. No zoo can operate in India without
recognition by this Authority and prior orders from the Supreme Court of India.
The main functions of the CZA are:
1. Recognition of zoos and enforcing of the minimum standards and norms of management;
2. Providing financial assistance to zoos in planned development;
3. Coordinating captive breeding programmes for endangered species on scientific lines and
organizing frequent exchanges of animals between zoos;
4. Training and education in zoo management;
5. Providing technology for modern aspects of zoo management through international cooperation;
6. Establishing linkages between ex-situ and in-situ conservation.
Giant Tortoise Gone Forever
On 24th June 2012, the world lost a species of a Giant tortoise of the famed Galapagos
Archipelago, connected with British Naturalist Charles Darwin and his theory of evolution.
Lonesome George the male Pinta Giant tortoise or Abingdon Island tortoise (Chelonoidis
abingdonii) belonging to the family Testudinidae was the last surviving member of his
species and with his death the species of Pinta Island Giant tortoise has become extinct.
Lonesome George passed away in his corral situated at the Galapagos National Park
(Ecuador).
Pinta tortoise was already listed as Extinct in the Wild on the IUCN Red List of threatened
species. Lonesome George was estimated to be about hundred years old.
The Galapagos Island Giant tortoises are not only the largest tortoises in the world but also
longest living of all vertebrates.
Kawar Lake
Bird Sanctuary Under Threat
The waters of Kawar Tal are declining at an alarming rate due to sever eutrophication. The
depth of the lake is declining rapidly due to infestation of aquatic weeds such as Phragmatis
and Hydrilla.
Indiscriminate use of boats for fishing and loading fodder grasses is also proving a
hindrance for birds to roost on the water surface.
Awareness programmes among the local people for the protection of migratory birds and
other wildlife are being carried out. But poverty, lack of political will, weak administration
and misguided policies weaken the effectiveness of all such measures.
It has to be realized that the Kawar Lake can be saved only when all segments of the
society come together on a common platform.
Little Rann of Kutch, situated in the Thar Desert of Gujarat, was established in January
1972 as a sanctuary for the last population of Indian wild ass (Equus hemionus khur),
locally known as khur. The only other two subspecies of wild asses live in the high arid
plateaus of Tibet.
One of the three surviving species of the Wild Ass in the world, the khur is high on the list
of endangered species. Only 1,800 to 2,000 of the species survive today.
They are slightly bigger than a donkey, and are fast and strong like a horse. Few animals in
the animal kingdom can match the wild ass in terms of speed and stamina.
Apart from the wild ass, the region is inhabited by other wild animals also such as the
chinkara, desert fox, jackal, desert cat, caracal, nilgai, wolf, blackbuck, and striped hyena.
One can also get a rare insight into the lifestyles of the numerous ethnic groups and local
tribes, which live in and around the Rann. The tribes living in the region are the Kolis,
Rabaris, Bajanias, Kutchis, Gujjars and the Bharvads.
The main threats to the Khur are overgrazing by livestock; persecution by farmers in
retaliation for crop raiding; and contraction of diseases from domestic horses.
The Khur was given full legal protection in 1952.
GSAT-10
Drugs
A drug includes all chemicals other than food that affect living processes.
Drugs have three or more names, including a chemical name, brand or trade name, and
generic or common name. The chemical name is assigned according to rules of
nomenclature of chemical compounds.
The brand name is always capitalized and is selected by the manufacturer.
The generic name refers to a common established name irrespective of its manufacturer.
Types of drugs
Depending on the action and effect produced, the drugs are generally classified as:
Analgesics/Antipyretics: An analgesic is a drug that relieves pain and an antipyretic lowers body
temperature and diminishes fever. Prostaglandins are potent mediators of inflammation and pain,
and these drugs act by reducing its production. Paracetamol, Aspirin, Ibuprofen, Ketoprofen,
Flurbiprofen, Butorphanol, Carprofen, Nalbuphine, Oxymorphone, Pethidine, Diclofenac Sodium,
Indomethacin etc are examples.
Antacids: Antacids relieve indigestion by neutralizing stomach acids. Histamine stimulates the
secretion of pepsin and hydrochloric acid in stomach.
Anthelmintics: Anthelmintics are drugs that expel parasitic worms from the body by either
stunning or killing them. They may also be called vermifuges or vermicides. Albendazole is
effective against threadworms, roundworms, whipworms, tapeworms, and hookworms.
Antibacterials: An antibacterial is a compound or substance that kills or slows down the growth of
bacteria and is used to treat infections. Antibacterial drugs include the penicillins, cephalosporins
and the carbapenems.
Antibiotics: Chemical substances produced by microorganisms (bacteria, fungi and mould) that
inhibit the growth or even destroy other microorganisms are called antibiotic drugs.
Antidepressants: An antidepressant is a psychiatric medication used to alleviate mood disorders,
such as major depression and anxiety disorders. Some examples are Citalopram, Escitalopram,
Fluoxetine, Fluvoxamine, and Paroxetine.
Antidiarrhoeals: Drugs used for relief from diarrhoea. A notable drug for the purpose of relief of
diarrhea is Loperamide.
Antifungals: Antifungal drugs are used to treat fungal infections, the most common of which affect
the hair, skin, nails, or mucous membranes, e.g. Terbinafine and Itraconazole.
Antihistamines: Antihistamines are drugs used primarily to counteract the effects of histamine,
one of the chemicals involved in allergic reactions. The classic antihistamines are represented by
chlorpheniramine, brompheniramine, diphenhydramine and dimenhydrinate.
Diuretics: Diuretics are drugs that increase the quantity of urine produced by the kidneys and
passed out of the body, thus ridding the body of excess fluid. Examples of diuretic drugs include
furosemide, ethacrynic acid, torsemide, bumetanide.
Hypoglycemics: Hypoglycemics are drugs that lower the level of glucose in the blood.
Sunderbans Mangroves
Sunderban is the largest mangrove ecosystem in the world, covering an area of about one
million hectares, of which 60% is located in Bangladesh and the remaining in India. The
area included in the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1987 is a part of the famous GangesBrahmaputra Delta.
The name Sunderban has probably been derived from the Sundari trees (Heritiera fomes)
that once abundantly populated the Sunderban.
Mangroves are flowering plants comprising at least three types of floral components true
mangroves, back mangroves and mangrove associates.
True mangroves are salt-tolerant halophytic plants, growing on tidal swamp habitats. The
true mangrove species thrive in high salinity, daily submergence, fine clayey oxygen
deficient soil, tidal currents, fresh water flow and strong wind as well.
Back mangroves are a bushy, discontinuous type of vegetation. They are not subjected to
the same degree of tidal inundations as experienced by true mangroves that grow near
mangrove stands towards the landward side.
Though able to withstand the high salinity and low nutrient soil associated with coastal
areas, these plants generally are not found in the intertidal areas colonized by true
mangrove plants.
Mangrove associates are not true mangrove plants. They are common mesophytic plants
occurring near the human habitation. These plants can grow in nutrient-deficient soil but
cannot withstand environmental conditions as encountered by the true mangroves.
Extensive human intervention is considered the main reason behind the rapid degradation
of mangrove vegetation in Sunderban.
Mangroves act as natural sewage treatment plants and absorb pollutants both from air and
water. They possess high percentage of tannins in their bark and leaves that can neutralize
some of the industrial pollutants.
Mangroves are also an important carbon dioxide sink; among mangrove plants found in
Sunderban, Keora is the most efficient species followed by Baen and Genwa.
The Sunderban mangrove functions as a wind-breaking barrier and minimizes the intensity
of cyclonic storms.
It is high time that well thought out environmental protection measures are implemented
before this unique biosphere is lost forever.
The Kaziranga National Park in Assam protects the worlds largest Indian rhinoceros
population, as well as many other species of tigers, elephants, panthers and birds.
In the early nineteenth century, the area around what is now Kaziranga National Park was
notorious for wild animals, malaria and frequent floods.
Kaziranga was originally designated a reserve forest in 1908 with the primary objective of
preserving the rhinoceros and other large mammals.
It received the status of a game sanctuary in 1916 and fi nally became a wildlife sanctuary
in 1950. It was designated as a World Heritage site in December 1985.
Apart from the threatened Indian rhinoceros, Kaziranga also boasts of tigers that are natural
enemies of rhinos.
Kaziranga is designated as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by Birdlife International.
However, it is the Greater Indian rhinoceros, one of the largest rhinoceroses, that Kaziranga
is really famous for.
Kinetic Charger
The Kinetic Charger is a simple, visually appealing little charger that clips onto your belt to
harvest the energy created by your movements.
You can plug it into your phone or any other mobile gadget that charges via USB, and the
power your make by walking or jogging is fed into your device. Each tiny charger can hold
up to 4 watts of stored energy, and they can be linked together to offer a larger capacity.
The platinum jubilee session of the congress had published a special brochure titled Indian
Science Congress Association Growth & Activities which talked about the extension of the
activities of the Indian Science Congress Association and its further diversification to generate
scientific temper and popularize science. In line with this objective, the congress started the
Childrens Science Congress and the Science Communicators Meet. The Childrens Science
Congress inaugurated this year by Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam attracted a large audience. Kalam
asked the young buds present on the occasion to take science as a life mission and strive to work
to their utmost potential.
Recommendations of the Congress
The five-day deliberations each year lead to a set of recommendations on what should be done to
improve the role of science in shaping the future of the country. The list released this year
included:
1) Special efforts to attract talent and develop human resource, encourage youthful leadership in
the science sector,
2) Readjust governance system of universities to rejuvenate research in the academic sector,
3) Link discovery processes to problem solving responsibilities,
4) New models for international collaborations,
5) Suitable strategy and roadmap for meeting the challenging needs of food nutrition, energy,
environment, water and sanitation.
Bharatpur National Park
The Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary or The Keoladeo Ghana National Park as it is officially
known, is a bird paradise.
The name Keoladeo finds its roots in the name of an ancient Hindu temple devoted to Lord
Shiva in the sanctuarys central zone while the Hindi term Ghana means dense, thick
areas of forest cover.
Bharatpur Wildlife Sanctuary is perhaps the only wildlife habitat created by a maharaja
himselfthe Maharaja of Bharatpur.
In 1760, an earthen dam called Ajan Dam was constructed to save the town from this
annual vagary of nature. The area was deemed a national park in March 1982.
In 1985, Bharatpur was recognized as a World Heritage Site. The park was in danger of
being removed as a Ramsar Site as well as UNESCO World Heritage Site, due to severe
drought and abandoning of the park mid way by nesting birds in the year 2007.
Bharatpur is an ornithologists delight. It is best known for the Siberian cranes that flock
there every year. Apart from Feredunkenar in Iran, Bharatpur Sanctuary is the only place
where the Siberian crane migrates.
The US Army reports that an average of one soldier per day takes his or her own life.
Now a nasal spray has been developed to prevent suicides. The spray will release a
neurochemical thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH), which causes a calm and euphoric
feeling that could stave off suicidal thoughts.
Pills and intramuscular injections dont allow the chemical to reach the brain where it is
needed, so until now spinal cord injections have been the only way to deliver it to the body.
The spray is not a substitute for antidepressants and other depression treatment.
The largest lagoon along the east coast of India, Chilika is a unique assemblage of marine,
brackish and fresh water ecosystem with estuarine characters.
Chilika Lake is the largest wintering ground for migratory birds in the Indian subcontinent.
Considered as one of the hotspots of biodiversity, the Chilika shelters a number of
endangered species listed in the IUCN red list of threatened species, and is also a
designated Ramsar site, that is, a wetland of International Importance.
The fauna of this water body includes fishes and several varieties of prawns, crabs and
oysters. Endangered Irrawaddy Dolphins are the other attraction. It shelters the largest
population of these dolphins.
The year 2002 was a landmark year in the recognition of conservation efforts at the Chilika
Lake.
Chilika was taken out of the Montreux Record, which was a record of Ramsar sites where
changes in ecological character have occurred, are occurring or are likely to occur. Due to
the improved conditions of the lake, Chilika Lake is the first Ramsar site in Asia to be
removed from the Montreux record.
In 2002, the Ramsar Wetland Conservation Award was presented to the Chilika
Development Authority for outstanding achievements in the field of restoration and wise
use of wetlands and effective participation of local communities in these activities.
The Indira Gandhi Paryavaran Puruskar was also awarded to the Chilika Development
Authority in the same year for the outstanding contribution of conservation and restoration
of the Chilika lake ecosystem.
Environmental and Health Hazards Posed by E-Waste
Substanc
e
PCB
Occurrence in E-Waste
Halogenated compounds
Condensers, transformers
CFC
PVC
Cable insulation
Barium
Beryllium
Cadmium
Chronium
Occurrence in E-Waste
Halogenated compounds
Small quantities in the form
of gallium arsenide with light
emitting diodes
Getters in CRT
Power supply boxes which
contain silicon controlled
rectifiers,
beamline
components
Rechargeable
NiCd
batteries,
printers,
photocopying machines
Data tapes, floppy disc
VI
Gallium
arsenide
Lead
Lithium
Mercury
Nickel
Rare earth
elements
Selenium
Zinc sulfide
Toxic
organic
substances
Radioactive
substances
term perspective
cause allergic reactions.
May develop explosive gases (hydrogen) if wetted.
CRT
screen,
batteries, Cause damage to nervous system, circulatory
printed wiring boards
system, and kidneys
cause learning disabilities in children.
Li-batteries
May develop explosive gases (hydrogen) if wetted.
Fluorescents lamps that Acutely poisonous and injurious to health on a long
provide backlight in LCDs, term perspective.
in some alkaline batteries
and
mercury
wetted
switches
Rechargeable
NiCd May cause allergic reactions.
batteries or NiMH batteries,
electron gun in CRT
Fluorescent layer (CRT Irritates skin and eyes.
screen)
Older
photocopying Exposure to high level may cause adverse health
machies
effects.
Used in interiors or CRT Toxic when inhaled.
screens, mixed with rate
earth metals
Condensers, liquid crystal
display
Medical equipments,
detectors etc.
A notification on E-waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2010, under EPA 1986 Central
Institute of Plastics Engineering & Technology (CIPET), Bhubaneswar.
There is no sexual dimorphism. However, we can differentiate it by its size the adult
female is slightly smaller than the adult male.
The World Conservation Union (IUCN) and Birdlife International have placed this species
under the category Vulnerable.
In India, this species is included in Schedule IV of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. The
distribution and population of Indian Sarus Crane is considered to be on the decline in the
country.
Barr body, named after its discoverer Dr Murray L. Barr, a Canadian cytogeneticist, is
inactive single sex chromosome of the XX pair of sex chromosomes of females.
Since this chromosome is double in number, only one remains active without adversely
affecting the individual. The one inactive sex chromosome when stained with a specific dye
appears as a black spot adhered to the inside of the nuclear membrane. This is a
confirmatory test of femaleness.
as the case may be. A karyotype is used to confirm chromosomal state (Genotype) of a person
including any chromosomal aberrations.
A karyotype analysis indicates the total number of chromosomes, the sex of the person in
question, and structural abnormalities with the individual chromosomes, if any.
Indias Mars Mission
Uninterrupted global attention on Mars has induced Indias great interest on the Mars
Mission. India has planned an ambitious, short-term programme of Mars exploration
Mangalyaan-1 to be launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
Mangalyaan meaning Mars-craft is an orbiter. It will not land on the surface of Mars, but
encircle the planet.
This maiden mission to Mars is a technology demonstrator project aiming at a successful
interplanetary mission. ISRO completed 125 crore (US$23 million) of required studies for
the orbiter last year.
The orbit of Mars is elliptical. Mars happens to be closer to Earth every 26 months. In the
near future, there are three windows of opportunity. They are in late 2013, in 2016 and in
2018. Indian scientists are aiming to be ready for the 2013 opportunity. Otherwise we would
have to wait another 26 months to launch our Mars-Craft.
Indians maiden Mars probe will lift off from ISROs launching pad at Sriharikota in Andhra
Pradesh. The space agency will use its trusted warhorse rocket Polar Satellite Launch
Vehicle (PSLV-XL) to carry the spacecraft into space. The spacecraft will have bi-propellant
system using monomethylhydrazine and di-nitrogen tetroxide as fuel with additional safety
and redundancy features for Mars orbit insertion.
Payloads
Mangalyaan, with a 1350 kg liftoff mass, will carry payloads with a total weight of 14.49 kg. The
mass has been scaled down to less than 15 kg against 25 kg planned originally. The payload
consists of five instruments:
(a) Mars Exospheric Neutral Composition Analyzer (MENCA)
(b) Methane Sensor for Mars (MSM)
(c) Mars Colour Camera (MCC)
(d) Probe for Infrared Spectroscopy for Mars (PRISM)
(e) Lyman-Alpha Photometer (LAP)
Major Goals of Mission Mars
(a) To transfer the probe from Earth-centered orbit to heliocentric trajectory
(b) To insert the probe finally into Martian orbit
(c) To develop force models and algorithms for orbit and attitude computations and analyses
(d) To navigate the probe from Earth to Mars in deep space using the Deep Space Network
(e) To meet power, communications and payload operation requirements of the probe
(f) To re-activate the temporary inactive sub-systems of the probe after a 10-month journey
(g) To study Martian atmosphere and explore things not done previously by other countries
(h) To know how and why the red planet lost water and carbon dioxide
(i) To incorporate autonomous features to handle unforeseen situations
(j) Above all, to successfully enter orbit of Mars regardless of any scientific data return
Borago officinalis, also known as a star flower, is a storehouse of vitamins and minerals.
Belonging to the Boraginaceae family, it probably originated in Aleppo, northwestern Syria,
but is now frequently found in Europe and north parts of America and Africa.
In India it is distributed in the north-eastern Himalayas from Kashmir to Kumaon.
It is used in a versatile manner in medicinal, culinary and ornamental purposes.
The physicians of the late middle ages recommended this for restoring lifes energy. The
farmers grow borago along with tomato, strawberry and squash because it improves their
flavour and quality.
In the early part of the nineteenth century, the young leaves were used as refreshing
summer drinks, body coolants and in salads.
Borago contains vitamins such as ascorbic acid (vit-C), -carotene (pro-vit-A), choline,
niacin, ribofl avin and thiamine; minerals such as calcium, cobalt, iron, magnesium,
phosphorus, potassium, sodium and zinc; and macro nutrients such as carbohydrates,
proteins, fats, fibers, and glucose.
The World Heritage emblem represents the interdependence of the worlds natural and cultural
official World Heritage List, and represents the universal values for which the Convention stands.
While the central square world, a symbol of global protection for the heritage of all humankind.
From India, 29 properties have been inscribed on the World Heritage List. To be included on the
World Heritage List, sites must be of outstanding universal value and meet at least one out of ten
selection criteria. These criteria are explained in the Operational Guidelines for the Implementation
of the World Heritage Convention which, besides the text of the Convention, is the main working
tool on World Heritage.
Selection criteria:
1. To represent a masterpiece of human creative genius:
2. To exhibit an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a cultural
area of the world, on developments in architecture or technology, monumental arts, townplanning or landscape design;
3. To bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization
which is living or which has disappeared;
4. To be an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble
or landscape which illustrates (a) significant stage(s) in human history;
5. To be an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement, land-use, or sea-use
which is representative of a culture (or culture), or human interaction with the environment
especially when it has become vulnerable under the impact of irreversible change;
6. To be directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, with ideas, or with
beliefs, with artistic and literacy works of outstanding universal significance. (The
Committee considers that this criterion should preferably by used in conjunction with other
criteria);
7. To contain superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and
aesthetic importance;
8. To be outstanding examples representing major stages of earths history, including the
record of life, significant on-going geological processes in the development of landforms, or
significant geomorphic or physiographic features.
9. To be outstanding examples representing significant on-going ecological and biological
processes in the evolution and development of terrestrial, fresh water, coastal and marine
ecosystems and communities of plants and animals;
10. To contain the most important and significant natural habitats for in-situ conservation of
biological diversity, including those containing threatened species of outstanding universal
value from the point of science or conservation.
The protection, management, authenticity and integrity of properties are also important
considerations. Since 1992, significant interactions between people and the natural environment
have been recognized as cultural landscapes.
List of reference:
Science Reporter September 2012 to October 2013