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The UN's former climate chief said the global warming pledge he helped set at the Copenhagen Summit little more than two years ago was already unattainable. "I think two degrees is out of reach," Yvo de Boer, former executive secretary of the UN's Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), said recently. The target was set by a core group of countries at the Copenhagen Summit in December 2009 and became enshrined by the forum at Cancun, Mexico a year later. But more and more scientists are warning that the objective is slipping away without radical, early cuts in greenhouse-gas emissions.
For instance, Jammu and Kashmir and Assam, which have 75 and 40 per cent Muslim population respectively, have less than a quarter of the national rates of cervical cancer, the authors write. As seen internationally, circumcision in men greatly reduces the chances of sexual transmission of HPV virus. Women also had lower incidence of oral cancer. However, breast and stomach cancers were much higher. Muslim men, however, had higher mortality rates than Hindus in the case of all cancers except liver cancer. Tobacco control Tobacco control is the best vaccine for lung and oral cancer, he stresses. Tobacco is the single most cause of many deaths. Tobacco companies have been beaten in other countries. It is just a matter of time before it happens here. Big tax hike is the answer, Prof. Jha says emphatically. France tripled the price in ten years and the consumption halved and revenue doubled. Mexico has increased tax by 30 per cent. Philippines wants to hike it by 200 per cent. They hope to introduce it next year, he adds. According to him, it is possible to cut many oral, breast and cervical deaths even in rural areas by early detection and treatment. You don't need super-speciality hospitals in rural areas. Basic services to detect and refer them for treatment is enough, Prof. Jha highlights. Changing trends Trends similar to those in developed countries are slowly beginning to emerge. Even though cervical cancer is still the leading cause of cancer deaths in both rural and urban areas, numbers of cervical cancer are dropping in urban areas. However, the number of breast cancer deaths is increasing. Big drivers of breast cancer are the changing trends seen in India late pregnancy and early menarche, he notes. Breast cancer development is similar in rural and urban areas. But deaths are more in rural areas due to lack of early detection. The data for the study was collected by resorting to verbal autopsy in 2004-2005. In verbal autopsy the details of the cause of death in the family are collected from a family member. Though the 2003 figures have been forward projected to 2010, there are lesser chances of gross errors creeping in as nearly 80 per cent of cancer deaths in people older than 15 had a crude previous diagnosis of cancer by a physician, suggesting some medical confirmation of cancers, the authors write. Though verbal autopsy cannot provide correct diagnosis of specific cancers where the organs are close to each other, like stomach, misclassification is less likely in the case of oral, cervical and breast cancers. Since India has only 24 urban population-based cancer registries and just two rural registries, the authors assessed cancer mortality in the Million Death Study (MDS), which is led by the Office of the Registrar General of India. MDS is one of the few large, nationally representative studies of the cause of deaths, including rural areas.
We have just gone through a series of successful elections in several states of India. This has once again shown to the world, and particularly to our own ruling politicians, that we take democracy seriously, and believe in consensus-based decisions. And all of us are delighted that the people of several countries in the Arab world (and Myanmar too) have the opportunity to vote and practice democracy. Is democracy a human invention, thought out by homo sapiens and practiced by us? What do other social animals do? Are there social practices in animal societies that have an evolutionary origin, handed down to us? The field of socio-biology throws not only surprises at us but also teaches us some lessons, asking us to be humble and appreciative of many other animals and even insects like the honeybee we admire and the cockroach we detest. Professor Raghavendra Gadagkar of the Indian Institute of Science at Bangalore is a well known eusociologist who specializes in insect group behaviour of wasps and bees. He recently described to us how a colony of wasps or bees organizes itself and optimises resources. He points out that while the colony has a queen, workers and drones, this is no monarchy. The queen does not proclaim what the colony should do. (We call her the queen, rather anthropomorphically, since all she does is sit around and lay eggs, and is pampered by a retinue of assistants'). She too is just a worker, a special type of worker whose job is just to keep on laying eggs. There are no palace intrigues, and she too can be, and is, overthrown or displaced by another egg laying machine'. When the colony is divided into two, the second queen-less part makes its own queen. The queen is of course more important than the average worker, but she is not a dictator whose order the colony must obey. It is a group activity, with each member playing its role by common agreement. Yes, the cockroach, the pest whom we want to smash to death the moment we see it in the kitchen, too forms a congenial society with consensual rules. Dr. Jose Halloy and his group at the Department of Social Ecology at the Free University of Brussels in Belgium has been studying cockroach colonies for over a decade. He has come to the conclusion that cockroaches practice a simple form of democracy. In its society, each insect has equal standing and decisions made by group override those of individuals, and such group decisions govern what the entire group would do. How does one devise an experiment to arrive at such an important conclusion? Halloy's experiment was simple and decisive. He placed the group of cockroaches in a large dish that had three shelters. The cockroaches did much consultation among themselves by touching and probing each other through their antennae, and after such consultation, divided themselves into groups and ran towards the shelters, away from the light (recall they like dark and no light). The surprise was in the result. Each shelter could hold 50 insects. Yet when 50 cockroaches were used in the experiment, they divided themselves into two groups 25 went off to shelter 1 and 25 to shelter 2, leaving shelter 3 vacant. When the researchers brought far larger shelters, each housing far more than 50, the cockroaches formed a single group and all went into a single shelter. Halloy explained the results to mean that a balance is struck between cooperation and competition for resources. Group formation optimizes this balance. As he says: It allows them to increase their reproductive opportunities, promotes sharing of resources like shelter or food, and prevents desiccation by aggregating in dry environments, etc. Mammals also Turning to mammals, we do find democracy, or group decisions that govern the action of the entire colony. Professor Larissa Conradt of the University of Sussex, UK, who has been studying colonies of red deer, finds that individuals benefit if they synchronize their activities and movements, and they have to decide such things collectively.
It is in the interests of the group members to stay together, so that they reproduce more, optimize resources, detect and avoid predators better no different from cockroaches? More recently, Dr. Frans de Waal of the Yerkes Primate Center at Emory University, Georgia, U.S., finds increasing evidence for similar group decisions and behaviour in chimpanzee societies too. In his forthcoming book chimpanzee politics, he describes how an alpha male spends a lot of time grooming allies, sharing food with them and keeping them on his side. Such consensus builders form more stable social structures and make group consensus decisions. Would this be the beginning of group politics, I wonder! Conradt and Roper describe, in their paper Democracy in animals: the evolution of shared group decisions ( Proceedings of the Royal Society; B 2007, 274: 2317 ), a game theory model of animal group behaviour. They show that a consensus decision is when the members of a group choose, collectively between mutually exclusive actions. This involves consensus costs, but equally shared decisions result in lowered consensus costs than unshared decisions. Is this not what democracy is about? As we study insects, fishes and mammals, we see the evolution of cooperative and consultative behaviour in many such animal colonies and societies, where the members choose to forego some privileges and bear some costs in order to promote harmony, survival and flourishing of the group-democracy in action. D. BALASUBRAMANIAN dbala@lvpei.org
accumulated to nearly Rs. 30 lakh. One thing I realised in all my life as a farmer is that no government is really interested in helping farmers. The centre is willing to import anything from the West and these countries are ready to dump us with their produce. Our Ministers are only too willing to accept it with open hands at the cost of destroying the lives of crores of farmers' livelihoods, he says. Becoming a debtor How did farmers become debtors and suffer this wretched condition? Is it their own doing? Don't people in other professions take loans and default? But it is only when a farmer fails to make one or two payments that it becomes news, he fumes. He adds, the bank goes in search of him as though he is a terrorist. What happened to the people who swindled crores? That money could have been used to improve agriculture and production for many years. Is anybody bothering about this? The much trumpeted green revolution in reality turned out to be a farce and was not able to either sustain production or improve farmers' lives, according to him. What is the use of only fields turning green? The lives of farmers must also turn green with money. Only then can we accept it as a revolution, says his son Kulandaivel. A sugarcane farmer goes through much hardship and it is the sugarcane mill owner who prospers. A paddy farmer remains poor throughout his life but the rice mill owner expands his mill or even buys two or three additional rice mills. Similarly it is not a cotton farmer but the buyer who flourishes. This is the ground reality. Even a 10-acre farmer is driven to sell his lands for getting money to finance his daughter's wedding, he emphasises. Eye wash According to the Mr. Kulandaivel the Government's campaign that rural India is shining and that too brightly, is just an eye wash. India no longer lives in villages; it lives in cities and cramped towns. The barren fields and almost empty streets in many villages with dilapidated homes are living proof of this, he concludes. Contact Mr. R. Subbaian at 4/5-A, Kanakkan thottam, A.G. Pudur (P.O), Irugur (via), Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu: 641-103, mobile: 0936-3228039, phone:0422-2627072
human influenza effects]. Moreover, the detection in humans last year of a novel H3N2 virus that had reassorted (mixed) in pigs had a great influence in their decision. In nature, pigs act like mixing vessels where various influenza virus strains combine with each to produce a strain that proves to be pathogenic and/or transmissible by air. Compared to the mutant H5N1 virus created by Ron Fouchier of the Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam (the other team that created a mutant H5N1 virus), the one created by Dr. Kawaoka also lacked virulence. Yet, NSABB decided not to clear it for full-paper submission. The artificial evolution of a new mammal-adapted H5N1 virus, as reported in these two papers, has removed the natural barriers that might have existed, Dr. Keim explains. Dr. Fouchier went about creating the mutant virus by first inserting three mutations in the lab and then passing the virus from one infected ferret to another till it became transmissible by air. Dr. Kawaoka had also used ferrets. Hence both the teams avoided the use of pigs for the virus to reassort (mix) into transmissible and virulent forms. Dr. Keim goes further to explain the rationale for requesting the journals to censor the papers. The laboratory created virus has bypassed the apparent barriers to evolution in the wild, he notes.
labour. It is giving them some safety valve, which is good but the spin off effect for the farmer is that labour shortage has become one of his biggest worries, he adds. We realized this problem and everybody acknowledges it today. We proposed simple terms within the ambit of the scheme to safeguard farmer interest; The 100 day employment will only be guaranteed in the lean agriculture season. Positive consequences of inclusion are: Simple strategy There will be no shortage of labour in the peak season of harvest and sowing. People will get employment in the lean season when there is less opportunity of work. This will ensure higher number of available workdays in a year for the people without extra budgetary support, he exhorts. Cropping patterns change as seasons vary across geographies. Fearful of the central government always generalizing, we further proposed that the District Collector in consultation with State Agriculture University should be directed to notify 150 days of the year when employment cannot be given, says Mr. Jakhar. There is demand from some quarters for enunciating a wage sharing' scheme - labour demanding work can be engaged by the small farmers who will pay 50 per cent of the wages and the balance 50 per cent can be paid by the Government, according to him. In theory, this sounds good like most policies. But in practice the ground reality is that this provision will be exploited for personal gain by influential people in the villages and the proposed benefits will not be available to the genuine small farmers, seems to be his conviction. Provide governance The Government should provide governance and an atmosphere conducive for employment generation rather than provide direct employment. We cannot not quantify or ignore the social cost that India will have to eventually pay for providing jobs to large sections of society who get paid to work less and inefficiently, he says. To interact readers can contact Mr. Ajay Jakhar: at Chairman, Bharat Krishak Samaj, A-1, Nizamuddin West, New Delhi-110013, e-mail : aj@bks.org.in , mobile: 09810144555, phones : 011-65650384 and 46121708.
Results have been encouraging, but from here to using them in human beings is a long step away. The accepted path for translating from animal experiments to humans is staged clinical trials, which involve three stages. A Phase I trial is a test of safety, the first step in moving from animals into humans. Phase I trials do not prove anything more, but are a must. We have a Phase I trial of autologous transplantation of olfactory ensheathing cells in persons with chronic SCI. Autologous transplantation means transplanting a patient's own cells; this helps avoid rejection by the immune system, which can occur when foreign cells such as embryonic stem cells are transplanted. There has been a Phase I trial of autologous transplantation of bone marrow stem cells. A Phase I trial using embryonic stem cells was recently discontinued by Geron Corp after transplantation in four patients. What is the pace of progress in this research? We must all understand that research on using stem cells for SCI is proceeding only in baby steps'. This is likely to be the trend in the years ahead, too. The spinal cord is an extremely sensitive part and that is an added factor in the measured pace of work. What has been the objective of your research in this field? It is important to understand the risk of a new treatment and balance that against a hoped-for benefit. In SCI, risks such as losing function, gaining new pain and new/enhanced spasticity must be balanced against benefits that are proven in animals, but may not apply to humans. When going from animals to humans, there are unknowns such as how many cells, where, how and how soon after the injury to transplant them, whether they will work in chronic injury and whether the procedure will damage incomplete injuries. Could you tell us about your Phase I clinical trial in human beings? This involved six persons with complete, chronic injury of the thoracic spinal cord. We took small pieces of tissue from inside their nose and using them, we grew their olfactory ensheathing cells in the lab. Six weeks later, we transplanted their own cells into the injured part of the spinal cord in three people. The three who did not get a transplant acted as controls,' to ensure assessing clinicians did not bias their views. To track whether there were any changes for good or bad, we assessed the six every three months for three years. There were no significant changes in any of the six. All we can say is that the procedure for transplantation of olfactory ensheathing cell is safe. What has been the success rate of using stem cells in animal models? We cannot set out a number, but cell transplantations have restored nerve connections between the brain and the lower spinal cord and improved walking, breathing and other functions in paraplegic rats. What is your advice to people seeking stem cell therapy for spinal cord injury? There are no stem cell treatments in the world today that have been fully tested in all stages of clinical trials. Part of the process of clinical trials is to report the outcomes and open them to public scrutiny for others to judge. Yet treatments' using stem cells for persons with SCI are taking place in several countries, including China, Russia, Brazil and India. Such treatments are not based on scientifically proven evidence that stem cells make a difference, partially or wholly, which means risks and benefits remain unproven. We know illnesses and injuries can change with time and that a few improve without treatment. There is no concrete evidence that it is stem cell treatment that leads to improvement of any sort in a person with SCI. Clinics offering stem cell therapies' do not state what cells they are transplanting, do not provide evidence of how the cells work in animals and whether they work in humans. Statements and testimonials from patients placed on websites or in newspapers are not
evidence'. In this backdrop, it is important that every person with SCI adopts a rational approach. I understand several persons with SCI are spending vast sums on stem cell treatment in the hope of improvement. This is a sad state of affairs. Persons with SCI must not go in for treatment using stem cell or olfactory ensheathing cells in any part of the world, as there is a long way to go to have a scientifically proven approach that also works. The money that is or could be spent on stem cell treatment must be used to improve the quality of life in other ways and not wasted in this treatment now. ( S. Vaidya Nathan is a founding member of Spinal Care India - A Vibrant Life)
The Director General, ICAR Dr. S. Ayyappan inaugurated an exhibition by the Krishi Vigyan Kendras at Chitradurga and Tumkur. The exhibition was set up by Zonal Agricultural Research Station, National Agricultural Innovation Project and Akshya Food Park. The DG appreciated the efforts of the scientists of the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore in developing various farmer friendly agricultural implements and suggested patenting the same. Farmers' interaction He interacted with several farmers, officers of the line departments and the scientists. Dr. Ayyapan elaborated upon the research priorities for climate change and the programmes that are being envisaged to be taken up in the XII Five year plan. He urged the scientists to go for production of quality seed and planting material and at the same time to give more emphasis on value- addition and post- harvest technology. He opined that the production level in India with the average annual rainfall of 400 500 mm is low when compared to other countries where the annual rainfall is less than 140 mm and urged the scientists to develop technologies that suit low rainfall areas and help in increasing the productivity. Market exploitations Dr. K. Narayana Gowda, Vice-Chancellor, University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, in his presidential address, emphasized the need for formulating farmers' federations to mitigate the market exploitations. He also said that the University is planning to set up dry land agriculture research station, Diploma college for Chitradurga district and provide more importance for dry farming technologies and agro forestry, according to a press release from ICAR.
Lagrange Point (L2) in space more than 1.5 million kms away from Earth after completing its moon mission. According to the new road map China plans to launch a third moon mission, Chang'e-3 to deploy rovers to explore the lunar surface besides sending a probe to Mars next year and to Venus by 2015. It is also in the process of setting up its own manned space station and a Global Position System of its own. PTI 746 pictures have 7 metres resolution The images cover all of the moon
Airplane landing
While landing, the rear wheels of an airplane touch the ground first. Why? V.G. SATHIYANARAYANAN Chennai An aircraft is equipped with tricycle under carriage type landing gear front or nose wheels and the rear ones. It is a safer practice to tilt the plane with nose upward just before the touch down so as to bring the rear or main landing gears in contact with the ground first and then lower the nose slowly a little after. There are various reasons of following this practice. Centre of gravity of the plane lies somewhere in the middle of the fuselage which is close to the rear wheels. It is therefore desirable to bring the rear wheels to the ground first for better controllability of the plane immediately after the touch down. Otherwise, if the plane lands on nose wheels, it would have a tendency to wobble and swing around wildly. The second reason is that the nose wheels/ gears are not that strong so as to absorb the landing impact. Another reason and very important reason is that as soon as the rear wheels touch the runway, a resistive force distributed on both sides equally starts working on the plane. Because of two wheels located apart at adequate distance, it is much easier to control skidding/ going off the runway of the plane just in case there are unequal forces on two sides. S.P.S. JAIN Former Member, Engineering Railway Board, Indian Railways
We plan to put up a awareness exhibition at the fair explaining the morphogenic characters of the kangayam breed , about the use of native cow dung and urine in zero budget farming. We are going to conduct a demonstration for farmers on making low cost inputs such as amritha karasal, Jeewamritham, panchakaviya ,Bijamritham, vembuasthram and agniasthram , he says. Ethono veterinary training programmes for livestock keepers will be conducted for livestock keepers on treating their cows without any incurring of expense using naturally locally available herbs and plants. Invitees This year the foundation has invited exemplary livestock keepers who were awarded the national breed saviour award by the national bio diversity authority to inaugurate the exhibition. As the date of inauguration may vary, for more details contact Mr. Karthikeya Sivasenapathy, Managing Trustee, Senaapathy Kangayam Cattle Research foundation, Kuttappalayam, Kangayam taluk, Tirupur district 638108, web: www.kangayambull.com, Email: karthikeyaksm@gmail.com, Mobile 9994433456, phones:042 -57294234.
He said that exploring environments such as Lake Vostok would allow scientists to discover what life forms can exist in the most extreme conditions and thus whether life could exist on some other bodies in the solar system. There has long been excitement among some scientists that life theoretically could exist on Saturn's moon Enceladus and the Jupiter moon Europa as they are believed to have oceans, or large lakes, beneath their icy shells. Of particular interest Valerie Massson-Delmotte of the climate and environment laboratory at the French Atomic Energy Commission, said Lake Vostok was of particular interest as it had been formed over the course of 400,000 years. "There is also a strong interest from biologists to study the forms of life that could exist in these extreme conditions which have been separated from the rest of the world environment for several million years," she said. RIA Novosti said that the possibility that the lake existed had first been suggested by a Soviet scientist in 1957. Scientific research drilling in the area started in 1989 and the lake's existence was confirmed only in 1996. But efforts to reach its surface were suspended two years later amid fears that the process could contaminate the waters. After developing new techniques in an attempt to ease environmental concerns, attempts to drill down through the deep ice sheet to the lake's surface resumed. The Russian researchers intend to start drilling again and obtain water samples from the lake for analysis in December after a ten-month break due to harsh weather conditions. The hidden lakes of the Antarctic are seen as one of the final frontiers in exploring the Earth and several teams from other nations are also engaged in similar projects. Still controversial There is still controversy over the methods used by Russia, with Western scientists expressing concern that the kerosene that has been used to prevent freezing ice from closing the borehole risks contaminating samples. Siegert will lead a mission next year to drill into another subglacial lake in west Antarctica called Lake Ellsworth, using a different technique called hot-water drilling. AFP
molecules. Stars are not habitable. The temperature and other conditions are too severe for any stable chemistry to occur. Hence planets are the more likely hosts for life. And in this, Earth is an excellent example. What all does it have? First, it is in the right place, orbiting the sun. The latter is a relatively stable source of energy for us; no major fluctuations or flares in heat, light or other types of radiation which can roast and burn off any life forms on planet earth. In other words, our sun is a benign star, which offers the right type of energy for us. In looking for other potentially inhabitable planets, we need to look at where they are with respect to their suns. Planet's weight matters Next is weight. The planet cannot be too heavy nor too light; too heavy means too far from its sun and thus less energy. Also its atmosphere will be too thick; gravity will keep it too bound to the planet, making the surface too cold. Too light a planet is not that good either not enough (if at all) an atmosphere not only will it be too cold but it will also be vulnerable for assault by meteors and high energy radiation. Our Earth is just the right size. Not only is it able to hold a proper shield as its atmosphere, but its internal core' is also large enough to contain heavy metals, molten and providing a burning heat engine. This allows for geology to operate, providing plate tectonics, and an appropriate crust on the surface nourished by volcanic eruptions from the core. This churning has provided us on earth to have abundant amounts of crucial elements C, H, O, N, and P, and conditions suitable for life chemistry. Metals such as iron in the core make the orbiting earth a spinning magnet, protecting us from harmful cosmic radiation. Its size is right for orbiting the sun in a manner that we have a proper day-night cycle. Too long a cycle or too short would mean the temperature difference between day and night is either too long or too short. And the orbit is better when it is circular and not too elliptical; if the eccentricity is too much, the day-night temperature differential could be too much to bear for the life forms on the planet. Mother earth is just a bit eccentric (just 0.02), not like many other extra-solar planets which are too eccentric to become hospitable. Planets are spinning masses, and several of them tilt a bit around their spinning axis (just as a top does). It is this tilt that provides seasons. Too little a tilt, there will be no seasons and too large a tilt, the seasons will be too extreme. Neither is good for life forms to evolve and stabilize into a proper biosphere. Our Earth is just so tilted that it has allowed life forms to evolve and stabilize. Our moon too plays a role in stabilizing this tilt. An inhabitable planet should thus be expected to be of the right size, right eccentricity and right tilt. A habitable planet should also be long-lived. Life of the type we know on earth has taken billions of years to evolve from the simple single-cell amoeba (3 billion years old) to us. It is these combined properties of Mother Earth that has made her habitable. Thus in looking for other habitable planets, astronomers look for planets with similar properties. Mars, Venus, Saturn or Jupiter do not fit the bill. No trace on Mars Mars does (or did) have water and some chosen regions which might allow some life chemistry to happen, but so far there has been no indication of it. Going outside our solar system, GJ667Cc appears to be likely habitable. How many more can be there? And will they support (have been supporting) not just amoebae but civilizations? Is there any such extraterrestrial intelligent life? NASA had put together a program called Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence or SETI. Dr. Frank Drake had speculated that, in principle, there might be as many as 10 such. Others have brought that down to 2.3.
If there are, what do we tell them? Even if there are only two other civilizations, how do we communicate with them, and in what language? Some have suggested sending signals of waves that are 21 centimeters in length, since that appears to be a universal radiation. If we can pulse it into an appropriate rhythm, perhaps some ETI would to know we are here. But I like what the biologist Lewis Thomas wrote in his Lives of a Cell. He says I would go for Johann Sebastian Bach, all of Bach, streamed out into space over and over again. We would be bragging of course but we can tell the harder truths later. I agree; a prosaic 21 cm radiation does not hold a candle to Bach (or Thyagaraja or Khusro). And we want them to know we are a civilization, after all! D. BALASUBRAMANIAN dbala@lvpei.org
District Rural Development Agency, Erode funded the establishment of an oil extraction unit nearby. The unit reduced the herbage loss during transport and has been able to increase the income to about Rs.3,600 per acre besides providing employment to the rural youth. The tribals of this region grew crops such as ragi, double beans, tapioca, turmeric and some fruit varieties. But due to constant incursion by wild animals from the bordering reserve forests many of them could not succeed in their farming operations, explained Dr. P. Alagesan, Programme Co-ordinator, Myrada Krishi Vigyan Kendra. When some of the tribals approached us for guidance our team visited the area and after careful study realized that aromatic crops can be safely grown there as the climate is cool and favourable and also the fragrance emanating from these aromatic plants will keep the wild animals at bay, he says. Clear understanding Myrada krishi vigyan Kendra encourages group approach to get fair price to the product. A clear understanding between marketing agencies and growers committee is ensured. The tribals are made to interact with officials Hope an organization in Nilgiris are pioneers in the cultivation and promotion of the crop. In order to get additional revenue in the rosemary field/garden, other long term crops such as Tea, Eucalyptus citridora can be encouraged as a border crop, says Mr.Pachiappan, of the Kendra. The Tamil Nadu Agricultural University conferred an award on the lady farmer. To speak to the farmer readers can contact Dr. P. Alagesan, Programme Co-ordinator, Myrada Krishi Vigyan Kendra, No.272, Perumal Nagar, Puduvalliyampalayam Road, Kalingiyam Post, Gobichettipalayam 638453, Erode District, Tamil Nadu, e-mail : myradakvk@gmail.com, myradakvk@dataone.in, website : www.myradakvk.org, Phone : 04285 241626, 241627.
Ancient bison bones discovered at a Canadian goldmine are helping unravel the mystery about how animals adapt to rapid environmental change, a study reveals. The 30,000-year-old bones were unearthed by University of Adelaide researchers, which helped them analyse special genetic modifications (epigenetic changes) that turn genes on and off without altering the DNA sequence itself. Epigenetic changes can occur rapidly between generations, even without going through standard evolutionary processes. Such epigenetic modifications (the effect of environment on genes) could explain how animal species are able to respond to rapid climate change. Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute researchers, collaborating with University of Adelaide's Australian Centre for Ancient DNA (ACAD) have shown that it is possible to accurately measure epigenetic modifications in extinct animals and populations, the journal PLoS ONE reported. They measured epigenetic modifications in 30,000-year-old permafrost bones from the Yukon region in Canada, and compared them to those in modern-day cattle, and a 30-year-old mummified cow from New Zealand, a university statement said. This is the first step towards testing the idea that epigenetics has driven evolution in natural populations. IANS
A fundamental discovery reported today (February 23) in Nature uncovers the first molecular evidence linking the body's natural circadian rhythms to sudden cardiac death. Ventricular arrhythmias, or abnormal heart rhythms, are the most common cause of sudden cardiac death: the primary cause of death from heart disease. They occur most frequently in the morning waking hours, followed by a smaller peak in the evening hours. While scientists have observed this tendency for many years, prior to this breakthrough, the molecular basis for these daily patterns was unknown. The discovery will be the first step towards new diagnostic tools and therapies to prevent or treat the occurrence of this fatal event. The research team led by Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine discovered that a novel genetic factor, Kruppel-like Factor 15 (KLF15), links the body's natural circadian rhythm to, and regulates the heart's electrical activity. A lack or excess of KLF15, causes a loss or disruption in the heart's electrical cycle and greatly increases susceptibility to arrhythmias. A lack of KLF15 is seen in patients with heart failure, while its excess causes electrocardiography (ECG) changes such as those seen in patients with Brugada syndrome, a genetic heart rhythm disorder. Our study identifies a hitherto unknown mechanism for electrical instability in the heart. It provides insights into day and night variation in arrhythmia susceptibility that has been known for many years, said Darwin Jeyaraj, the lead author of the study and an assistant professor of medicine at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. Sudden cardiac death due to electrical instability is the leading cause of death in the United States 700-800 deaths per day. It accounts for 10,460 (75.4 per cent) of all 13,873 cardiac disease deaths in persons aged 35-44 years old in the U.S. New treatments With this understanding, scientists can propose new patient treatments with the goal of reducing incidences of sudden cardiac death. This landmark finding proves that circadian rhythms are an important factor in sudden cardiac death. In addition, it raises the possibility that additional factors may affect the occurrence of sudden cardiac death. Further studies are needed to examine the how additional components of the biological clock can affect electrical stability in the heart. Our Bureau
Coconut water
How does coconut water form in a coconut? K. PREETAM REDDY Hyderabad Coconut water is the endosperm part of the coconut plant. It is the nutritive tissue for the development of embryos in angiosperms and develops as post-fertilisation structure from the primary endosperm nucleus.
Three types of endosperm have been recognised: nuclear, cellular, helobial. The coconut endosperm is a nuclear type. In very young coconut fruit, the endosperm is found as a clear fluid in which float numerous nuclei of various sizes. This fluid compactly fills the embryo sac in which the embryo is developing. At a later stage, the suspension shows, in addition to free nuclei, several cells enclosing variable number of nuclei. Gradually these cells and free nuclei start settling at the periphery of the cavity and layers of cellular endosperm start appearing. This forms the coconut meat. This meat is very tender enclosing the fluid content called coconut water. At this stage the nut is called tender coconut. The quantity of the cellular endosperm increases further by the divisions of the cells. In mature coconut the liquid endosperm becomes milky enclosed by the cellular part called kernel and it does not contain free nuclei or cells. The percentages of ariginine, alanine, cystine and serine in the protein are higher than those in cow's milk. At the stage in which the coconut water is consumed as a beverage the concentration of sugar is at its maximum and total solids is less when compared with the water found in nut with kernel. The principal constituent is the Potash, the concentration of which is markedly influenced by potash manuring. The concentration of ascorbic acid ranges from 2.2 to 3.7 mg/100cc. The concentration is high in the water of green nut with soft pulp and gradually diminishes as the nut ripens. RASHMI JAIN Gr Noida, Uttar Pradesh
Circulatory Physiology . The study The researchers first studied healthy young adults in their 20s and then studied a group of healthy older adults in their 60s so that they could learn how the heart functions in people without disease. Each subject was monitored for lung function and heart functions during the trials. In order to measure heart function during exercise, the participants performed an isometric, or static, handgrip, which is a manoeuvre known to increase blood pressure. The proof Subjects squeezed the handgrip device and held it still for two minutes, providing a consistent workload on the heart for the researchers to measure. Muller and Sinoway found that there was a supply-demand mismatch in the left ventricle where the heart receives oxygenated blood yet the heart was able to continue functioning appropriately. These findings suggest that healthy humans can adequately redistribute blood to the subendocardium (the blood vessels entering the heart) during the combined stimulus of cold-air inhalation and handgrip exercise, the researchers stated. Our Bureau
Controlling thrips in cardamom effectively Coral reef evolution from ancient time
200 million years ago fish with jaws capable of feeding on corals emerged, but the real explosion in reef diversity did not occur till about 50 million years ago when fishes like today's specialist coral feeders emerged.
The pocket ultrasound device is another revolutionary one. General Electric, among others (even in China) is marketing this device, no bigger than a Blackberry phone. Dr Topal says I haven't used a stethoscope in two years. I use this pocket ultrasound device so I can see everything in the heart rather than listen to the heart's sound. Dr Topal makes special mention of the use of the data obtained from the human genome project. It is now possible for a person to get the read-out of the entire of 3.2 billion units-long DNA sequence for $20,000, and soon it would be possible to do so for $1000 (Rs. 50,000). And this is but a one-time investment, which can come in handy (as my colleague Dr Santosh Honavar remarked, get it done the moment the baby is born a genetic horoscope, as it were). And this entire personal genome sequence can be stored in a smart card/cell phone memory. Of what use will this personal/ individual specific human genome sequence data be in medicine? With data already available, we can predict whether a given medicine is safe or not, or suitable for you, based on your genotype. Drugs like Metformin for diabetes, Plavix for blood clots, or Tegretol for neurological disorders, are not acceptable for some people because of their genetic background. Thus if we already know the latter, we can prescribe more acceptable alternatives. Dr Topal further points out that there are a lot of people with debilitating, serious illnesses, the causes for which are yet unknown; neither the diagnosis nor the treatment. With the knowledge of the whole genome sequence, he believes that we can determine the root cause and the biologic bases of such idiopathic illnesses. When Ms. Mckeon asked Dr Topol what technological innovation in medicine he is must excited about, he said it is the embedded nanosensor. This would be a nanoparticle-based device that can be injected into your blood stream and made to localize in the wrist, finger or some such place from where it can communicate with your cell phone. And that embedded nano-biosensor can be used to pick up, for example, the first cancer cell that shows up in the bloodstream, which would promote the earliest possible detection of cancer. It could also help with the autoimmune form of diabetes, called Type I which usually affects kids. (or) it can be used to pick up cells in an artery that's starting to crack a week or two before a heart attack (i.e. prevention). We have some really good data to suggest that this will ultimately be possible. Are there any Indian technologies and entrepreneurs working along these lines in India? Yes, the Remidio group in Bangalore (www.remidio.com) has developed hand-held high magnification retina viewer, and a digital fundus imaging device that can look into the whole funds of the eye and help in detecting retinal problems. And another group led by Dagar (dagarsd@gmail.com) now has brailled the cell phone to help the blind not just touch and read words and sentences but see pictures. There must be more, and I would welcome to hear from/about them. D. BALASUBRAMANIAN dbala@lvpei.org
The shape of the feather indicated that it was a covert,' the term for a feather that covers the primary and secondary wing plumage which birds use in flight. The hunt Their next goal was to hunt for fossilised melanosomes, or pigment-producing parts of a cell. Two attempts to image the tiny, sausage-shaped components measuring just a millionth of a metre long and 250 billionths of a metre wide failed. The breakthrough came with a scanning electron microscope at the Carl Zeiss laboratory in Germany, which revealed hundreds of the structures encased in patches in the feather. The third time was the charm, and we finally found the keys to unlocking the feather's original colour, hidden in the rock for the past 150 million years, said Ryan Carney, an evolutionary biologist at Brown University, in the northeastern U.S. state of Rhode Island. statistically matched against the melanosomes of 87 species of living birds, Archaeopteryx's plumed treasure was estimated to be black, with a 95-percent certainty, the scientists say. Black could have been useful as camouflage, for display or to regulate the body temperature. The alignment of the melanosomes, and tiny overlapping appendages called barbules, are evidence that the wing feather was rigid and durable, rather like the feathers of modern birds. If Archaeopteryx was flapping or gliding, the presence of melanosomes would have given the feathers additional structural support, Carney said. This would have been advantageous during this early evolutionary stage of dinosaur flight. The paper is published by the journal Nature Communications . Archaeopteryx has a hallowed place in palaeontology. A fossil of the creature, discovered 150 years ago, inspired the belief that this was the forerunner of all birds. The raven-sized creature had feathered wings and a wishbone as well as the reptilian features of teeth, clawed fingers and a bony tail. The cherished theory was knocked back last July when Chinese fossil-hunter Xing Xu determined that Archaeopteryx was only one of numerous proto-birds, or feathery dinosaurs, which lived around 150 million years ago. AFP
As a consequence the earth simply does not have the same composition as chondrites or the sun, he added. IANS
Electric current
How does electric current pass through wire? K. ANANTHANARAYANAN Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu The atoms form metallic bond with each other to give a closely packed stable structure to the metal. During the formation of these metallic bonds, the valence electrons present in the outermost orbit are completely detached from the parent atom and move freely in the space that lies within the lattice structure of the metal. These free electrons are spread over the entire solid. This large number of free electrons gives metals their values of electrical conductivity. These electrons move freely randomly even without any electric field. Because of the random movement, there is zero net current when there is no electric field. However when a metal wire is connected across two terminals of a voltage source with positive and negative terminals, the source places an electric field across the metal wire. Free electrons are forced to move toward the positive terminal under the influence of this field. This movement of electrons is called current. The free electrons are available in metallic conductors because in conductors the valance band and conduction band overlap and electrons from valance band can go to the conduction band. In the case of insulators the gap between the valance band and conduction band is quite large and hence electrons cannot jump from valance band to conduction band and hence there are no free electrons. Because of the free electrons in conductors, electric current passes through conductors. R.GOPALAKRISHNAN Retired Scientist/Engineer, ISRO
First time ICAR for the first time since its inception under the stewardship of Dr. Ayyapan, instituted a separate committee named National Agriculture Innovation Project (NAIP) to validate, document and help farm innovations. The Initiatives of NAIP extended the efforts towards improving rural livelihood of farmers living in less favoured, marginal or more complex environments. New project Another newly proposed project Farmer First' aims to move beyond production and productivity and to recognise the complex, diverse and risk prone realities of majority of the farmers and enhance farmers-scientists contact with multi stake holders participation. Farmer First aims at enriching farmers-scientists interface for technology development and application. It will be achieved with focus on innovations; feedback; multiple stakeholders participation, multi method approaches, vulnerability, and livelihood interventions, explains Dr. Ayyappan. Highly qualified scientists, even if they are committed, are often unaware of the actual needs and problems of poor and marginalised farmers. A huge gap exists in the quality of research output required at the farm level and that being developed in the labs, he says. In contrast to other areas like medicine, agricultural researchers mostly work in isolation from each other and most of their research findings are academic rather than practical. Pro- active role According to him research system should play a pro-active role in reaching out to farmers for getting first hand information, farmers' perceptions, feed back on generated technologies, and develop new and more appropriate processes, methodologies and technologies for diverse farm environment. Indian agriculture embraces diverse actors in its endeavour to feed 1.21 billion people. Small and marginal farmers may be uneducated, but one cannot question the fact that they do possess a deep knowledge about farming and understanding of the complexity of nature and its impact on cultivation, resulting from years of practising agriculture. Vital for food security Small farmers are extremely vital for food security as land holdings are shrinking day by day. The contribution of women farmers is also particularly immense. The innovations in agriculture from scientists to farmer innovators and vice versa need to be validated, integrated and scaled up, he says. A highly placed source at the Ministry of Agriculture, New Delhi, not wanting to be identified, expressed a positive opinion on the NAIP and Farmers first project. More practical According to the source this is the first time that ICAR has recognised the innovative side of the farmers and feels that both these projects are more practical and could play a definite role in addressing the critical issues in farming. At present ICAR institutes are working with about 1,000 farm-families involving between two and four villages, engaging each scientist in farm and farmer-oriented activities. The project team undertakes numerous visits as and when required to the villages. Those interested in knowing more can email Dr. Ayyappan at s_ayyappans@yahoo.com
Falling water
Why does water appear white when it falls from height? AKSHAY POLA Bidar, Karnataka Water falling from a height appears white due to a phenomenon called non-selective scattering. When water falls from a height with high velocity, lot of tiny water droplets are formed around the falling mass of water due to the bombardment of water with the rocks. These tiny droplets are about 100-1000 times bigger in size when compared with the wavelength of visible light which human eyes can see. (The visible range to which human eye is sensitive is about 0.4-0.7 micro metre, 1 micro metre = 10 raised to the power -6 metre). The light coming from the sun which the humans can see has three primary colours red, green and blue mixed in it. When light rays are incident over the water droplets, they scatter the entire visible range equally in all directions. When the three primary colours red, green and blue are mixed in equal proportions, they produce white colour. Hence, the colour we see after scattering by the water droplets is white. When water falls with a low velocity, very less or even no such tiny droplets are formed around the falling water and hence no scattering takes place. Hence we do not see white falling water at those times. ESWAR R. Research Scholar Indian Institute of Science Bangalore
cent chance of losing both the babies due to premature delivery, he warns. The best form of treatment is fetoscopy. In the case of fetoscopy, a 2 mm diameter fetoscope is inserted into the amniotic sac and all the blood vessels between the two foetuses are burned using a laser. All the vessels have to be burnt, else the flow can always reverse, he says. Once the blood supply is cut, each foetus has its own circulation through the placenta. Seven deliveries so far Usually 7 to 8 blood vessels exist between the foetuses. The largest number we have seen is 13, he says. He should know better as he and his team, Dr. Indrani Suresh and Dr. Uma Ram, have done 13 fetoscopies to save identical twins suffering from Twin Twin Transfusion Syndrome during the last 15 months. Of the 13 cases, seven women delivered healthy babies. In the absence of medical intervention in the form of fetoscopy, the chances of both the twins dying due to premature delivery are high. This is particularly so when the TTTS is at stage 2 and above. Treatment is required when it is stage 2 as the chances of premature birth is high, he says. One foetus has more fluid and the other has less. There are five stages of TTTS and it can progress from one stage to another quite quickly. Some may not progress from one stage to another. So they need close expert monitoring, he says. TTTS has its own risk, though. There is 15 per cent chance of miscarriage due to the intervention, he cautions. If it costs about 6 lakhs to 7 lakhs when done abroad, Mediscan charges just Rs.80,000 for the procedure.
breeders, millers, bakers, cereal and grain food processors, suppliers and traders to discuss the quality, safety and nutritional value of grain and foods made from cereals, with specific reference to the needs of India and the Indian subcontinent. Growing demand The demand for grains is growing as a number of major global issues continue to impact the world's food security, says ICRISAT Director General William D Dar. He pointed out that grain science and technology has become vital in addressing major concerns such as minimizing grain post-harvest losses, providing people access to quality and safe food, fighting hunger and malnutrition, and improving livelihoods of resource-poor households in the semi-arid tropics. ICC Secretary General and CEO Mr. Roland E Poms, said that while focussing on the Indian context, the program is also globally relevant as it covers such areas as crop improvement, storage, and nutrition processing and analysis for all major cereal grains and products. The NutriPlus Knowledge (NPK) Program of the Agribusiness and Innovation Platform (AIP) of ICRISAT is coordinated the event. Knowledge sharing During the conference, renowned speakers from international and national research institutes, multinational and domestic food companies, entrepreneurs, and food research and consultancy organizations shared knowledge and information on grain and food quality. An expert panel discussion followed and a technical trade exhibition, and a poster paper program was also presented.
ground, and it will impose more burdens on those involved in the decontamination, Haruo Sato, a researcher at the agency's Horonobe Underground Research Center in Hokkaido, was quoted by Kyodo as saying. In some areas of Fukushima prefecture, local officials and concerned parents have already removed the topsoil of school playgrounds. But government-led decontamination has barely started in areas around the nuclear plant, including the no-go zone within a 20-km radius of the facility. The Japanese government has been criticized for awarding the first decontamination contracts to major construction companies that had benefited from building nuclear power plants. The decontamination projects require the government to find sites to store radiationcontaminated soil and other nuclear waste, but Tokyo has already had difficulty in doing so. DPA
paper published recently in the journal BMC Evolutionary Biology. The paper provides an interesting find that rodents carried by the Vikings, the Scandinavian people who raided much of Northern and Western Europe from 8{+t}{+h}to 10{+t}{+h}century, left behind a genetic trail. Looking at the trail the study concludes that mice distribution in Iceland, Greenland and Newfoundland parallels the human explorations of these areas. They were able to confirm this by comparing the DNA of modern mice population with the DNA obtained from archaeological material like bones from these places. To understand the spread of mice populations, the study considers two sub species of common house mice. One is the Mus musculus , found in Sweden, Poland and Denmark, while the other is Mus domesticus , members of which are common in Norway, UK, Ireland, France and Germany. In addition to studying the Mitochondrial DNA (the DNA that is present outside the nucleus in a cell), the authors have used four nuclear genetic markers to differentiate between the two subspecies. In the case of Iceland, the DNA of both modern and ancient mice matches the sub species Mus domesticus . This shows that the population that initially reached the island survives till date. In Iceland, the [mitochondrial DNA] data show the arrival and continuity of the house mouse population to the present day, they write. The modern mice of Newfoundland too, belong to the same subspecies as that of Iceland. But whether the Vikings carried the early mice to Newfoundland is not known due to lack of DNA material of early mice. Greenland tells a slightly different story. While the DNA from ancient mice bones here belong to the same sub-species as Iceland, the modern mice that populate this area belong to Mus. musculus . This suggests that the initial population that came to Greenland went extinct. MADHAV VISHNUBHATTA ( The author is a freelancer based in Chennai m adhav.vishnubhatta@ gmail.com )
The temperature threshold for melting the Greenland Ice Sheet completely is in the range of 0.8 to 3.2 degrees Celsius of global warming, with a best estimate of 1.6 degrees above preindustrial levels, according to a new study.
ones who have helped to build the reputation of many climbers, famed for their conquest in the Himalayas. (For an excellent analysis of the Sherpas and Stars of Academia, read Prof. Balaram's editorial in the 25/8/2011 issue of Current Science , as also Valdiya's article in its 25/2/2012 issue, both downloadable free on the net). To add to this irony is the tragedy of the result of recent policy shifts by the government, thanks to which private parties are given access to mining, oil exploratory and water resources. Valdia points out that prior to this, autonomous government undertakings such as National Mineral development Corporation, National Coal Development Corporation and Indian Copper Corporation played important role in providing resources, strictly adhering to national (and rational) mineral policy, following rules of scientifically appropriate mining and protecting the environment. With this policy shift, what we see is the unchecked plunder of the earth's precious resources, shameless loot of the nation's wealth, and denial of benefits for the people displaced and adversely affected. I believe Dr Valdia used the phrase unwept, unhonoured and unsung somewhat differently than Sir Walter Scott who did it in his poem Lay of the Last Minstrel. Scott wrote: Breathes there a man with soul so dead, who never to himself hath said, this is my own, my native land the wretch, concentred all in self, living, shall forfeit fair renown, and, doubly dying, shall go down to the vile dust, from whence he sprung, unwept, unhonoured, unsung. This applies more to the exploiter than the explorer. D. BALASUBRAMANIAN dbala@lvpei.org
Harmful effects of excess sugar intake Health consequences in adults with low birth weight studied
A unique study has found that male adults born more than 20 years ago with low birth weight (LBW) show differences in muscle mass, fat content and diastolic blood pressure compared with those born with normal body weight. The study was done on adults from a rural area (Kaniyambadi) near Vellore, Tamil Nadu. The results were published recently in the European Journal of Endocrinology. In total, 117 adults born at the Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore, Tamil Nadu between 1986 and 1990 were recruited. Of these, 61 belonged to the low birth-weight category (less than 2.45 kg), while the rest had normal birth weight (between 3.1 kg and 3.5 kg). Low birth weight refers to individuals who weighed less for a given gestational age at birth. The study gains importance as nearly 30 per cent of infants born in India are underweight (less than 2.5 kg). The primary reason for this is the under-nutrition in women before and during pregnancy.
This study, which looked at people who are more than 20 years old, provides vital information on what the long-term health effects are when born with low birth weight. The study has a limitation there is no information on growth parameters collected at regular intervals during the last 20 years, particularly during childhood. Babies who are underweight preserve their body fat at the cost of muscle mass even at the foetal stage. As a result, the muscle mass in these individuals is less than those with normal birth weight. Those adults born with low birth weight had reduced lean body mass than those with normal birth weight, said Dr. Nihal Thomas, Head of the Department of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, CMC, Vellore. He is the first author of the paper. Lean body mass refers to muscle mass. Muscles play an important role in glucose uptake and hence reduced muscle mass may probably increase the possibility of these individuals developing insulin resistance at a later stage. There is more risk of developing diabetes at a later stage when the muscle mass is less, Dr. Thomas said. So reduced lean body mass is an early marker for diabetes. Apart from reduced lean body mass, adults with low birth weight had decreased total mineral content. Males belonging to both groups showed normal insulin sensitivity. However, five males (nearly 10 per) who had low birth weight had impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), an early stage of diabetes. However, the study has no information on physical activity of the individuals. According to him, unpublished data shows that there was no difference in physical activity between the two groups. Blood pressure They also found that adults with low birth weight had higher diastolic blood pressure (2 mm Hg) than the control group. According to him, even this small difference is significant. Even though the difference is only 2 mm Hg, this difference is seen at an early age and in those with low Body mass index (BMI), Dr. Thomas said. As they grow this difference would probably become even more significant. Explaining the reason behind the increased blood pressure seen in the LBW group, he said, the nephrone mass in the kidneys appear to be lower and their ability to excrete sodium [salt] is lower. Hence the retention of salt increases blood pressure. The adults who belonged to the low birth weight group were also relatively shorter than the control group. However, the parents of these people were also shorter than the control group. Hence a strong link between weight and height cannot be established.
ageing. Excess heat beyond the plant's tolerance zone damages photosynthetic cells. Fluctuations in wheat yields in India have also been attributed by farmers to temperature, most recently a heat wave in 2010 blamed for stunting plant productivity. To further test these experiments and first-hand observations, a trio of researchers led by David Lobell of Stanford University sifted through nine years of satellite data for the Indo-Ganges Plains in northern India .He subsequently used statistical techniques to isolate the effects of extreme heat on wheat. They found that a 2.0 Celsius increase above long-term averages shortened the growing season by a critical nine days, reducing total yield by up to 20 per cent. These results imply that warming presents an even greater challenge to wheat than implied by previous modelling studies, and that the effectiveness of adaptations will depend on how well they reduce crop sensitivity to very hot days, the researchers concluded. The world's nations, under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), have said that Earth's average temperature should not exceed the pre-industrial benchmark by more than 2.0 degrees C if dangerous warming impacts are to be avoided. PTI
More controversial are drugs that could be used against opponents. The report highlights a natural compound called oxytocin that is released during childbirth and lactation, and is involved in trust and bonding. Drugs based on oxytocin might potentially make adversaries more trusting and willing to give up information. The report calls on the UK government to clarify its interpretation of the Chemical Weapons Convention. The authors say the coalition has shifted its interpretation of the convention, suggesting that incapacitating chemicals are permitted for law enforcement. Guardian Newspapers Limited, 2012
How long will India play the catch-up game in science? Huge asteroid to fly past Earth
A 150-foot wide asteroid orbiting the Earth will next year pass so close to our planet it will fly under man-made satellites.
there is excessive plant growth and microbial life due to excessive nutrient supply. The enhanced growth and death of plants and animals result in increased decomposition. This results in depletion of oxygen in the lakes. Oxygen reduction In this case, the reduction in oxygen affected the deep-water spawning whitefish species. It also killed benthic life that served as food for this fish species. These changes compressed the depth range in which whitefish could spawn, thus bringing them closer together to breed. The convergence occurred in the case of lakes that were moderately and strongly polluted, but not in the mildly polluted ones. The coming together of the species to breed resulted in increased [the] gene flow between previously ecologically differentiated species. In theory, natural selection between species can continue, even when gene flow between the species is present, thus keeping the species apart. But in this case, the human intervention was so pronounced that selection could not surpass gene flow between the two distant species. The loss of genetic variability is the proof that diversity loss had indeed taken place. The authors found that reversal of speciation had set in the whitefish species in 13 lakes. Most whitefish assemblages have lower species and functional diversity today than historically, they assert. But it is not just the whitefish that suffered due to eutrophication. The lakes have lost 38 per cent of species diversity, 14 per cent of functional diversity and 28 per cent of functional disparity among species. Eight endemic species and seven distinct populations of species [seen till recently] have become extinct, they write.
breathing and blood circulation. This finding will benefit our work on designing artificial blood vessels that use replicas of human elastin, to repair and replace human blood vessels, with implications for the treatment of cardiovascular disease. PTI
Advantages The sensor has several advantages over existing techniques. For instance, the optical sensor can be repeatedly used as the one-dimensional array formed in the nanofluid is perfectly reversible. It takes less time to detect flaws in the material, allows direct visual inspection of the defects, and does not destroy the material being tested, he explained. The sensors are very cheap a one inch by one inch sensor would cost just a few hundred rupees.
Igloo
How do igloos protect Eskimos from the severe cold? M. MEGHAMALA Aswapuram, Andhra Pradesh The Igloo is a domed snow house often associated with the Inuit (also known as Eskimos), the native inhabitants of the Canadian Arctic. Igloos are relatively easy to construct, made from materials found in abundance: snow and ice. The igloo is an ingenious invention, very effective in keeping people warm. These are means to reduce heat loss by wind convection and by moisture from precipitation. Hypothetically, if it is 40C outside, the igloo has the potential to warm up to 0C. The major factors that enable to keep Eskimos warm inside the igloos are: 1. Snow and ice work as insulators to trap body heat inside the igloo. Thus, the occupants of an igloo double as a furnace of sorts. 2. The walls block the wind, which is often so bitter that it can make freezing temperatures feel many degrees colder. 3. Insulation capabilities actually increase a few days after construction. Body heat and sun exposure cause the inside of the igloo to melt ever so slightly. When the igloo is unoccupied during hunting expeditions, the melted snow freezes over, turning into ice. Several days of gradual thawing and refreezing turns the entire structure to solid ice, making it not only super strong, but also warmer than ever. RASIK RAVINDRA Director, NCAOR, Goa
of which are led by women, boost their productivity while preserving the land for future generations. Compare this with a total of $3 billion per year spent by the entire world on researching the seven most important crops. Of these, cassava (or tapioca) is one. It is the staple food of about 500 million Africans; Nigeria is the world's largest producer of this tuber. And it has been affected by two virus-infected diseases, both carried by white flies the Cassava Mosaic Disease affecting the (edible) leaves, and the other Brown Streak Disease which rots and kills cassava roots. The Gates Foundation is committing money to help win these and to increase cassava's nutritional content and reduce its inherent toxins. Cassava is eaten in many parts of India as well. We call it Kuchi Kizhangu or Maravallli Kizhangu in Tamil, Kappa in Malayalam, Kavva pendalam in Telugu, Mara Genasu in Kannada and Simla Alu in Hindi. Its powdered form is tapioca, and when it is made into pearls, we call it sago, sabudana or Jawwarisi , and make sabudana vada, upma, payasam and so forth. Just like potato, maize and chillies, cassava too is an import to the rest of the world, a gift by Portuguese sailors who brought it from Brazil to Africa and Asia. Within centuries, it replaced traditional African crops as Africa's most important food crop, and has come to be called Bread of the Tropics and when disease strikes it, it hits the health and livelihood of millions of people. It is thus vital not only to conquer these diseases but also improve the nutritional content in this plant. The book Nutritive values of Indian Food and The Planning of Satisfactory Diets, the Bible of India's Food Science (and perhaps the most useful book published by Indian science agencies for its people), lists that 60 per cent of tapioca is water, and each edible portion offers 157 calories coming from 389 carbohydrates, 1.2 g minerals, 0.6 g fibre, 0.7 g proteins and 0.2 g fat. Thankfully it is rich in calcium. Eating it day in and day out might fill the stomach but not offer enough nutrition. It is towards this challenge that the international group termed Biocassava Plus has been put together, with the aims to (a) increase by six-fold the content and bioavailability of zinc and iron, (b) increase four-fold its proteins content, (c) increase by ten-fold the vitamin A and E content, (d) develop virus-resistant varieties of cassava, (e) delay the post- harvest deterioration of cassava tubers, and (f) decrease by ten-fold its cyanogens content. Item (f) above is particularly important. Raw cassava contains two types of compounds which generate the mortal poison HCN upon decomposition. The indigenous people of Brazil and Africa have found ways to remove the poison. Peeling the roots, soaking them in water for a couple of days, then drying and cooking solves much of the problem. (Is this not eerily reminiscent of the paralysis caused by eating kesari dal ( lathyrus sativus ); fortunately for us, IARI scientists have found ways to make toxin-free varieties of its plants). Tapioca, which is processed from cassava in a similar way, is also safe. Biocassava Plus is an international collaborative endeavour, with team members from the National Root Crop Institute of Nigeria, Kenya Agricultural Institute, and the Danforth Plant Science Center at St Louis, MO, USA. The team has been able to make some exciting advances; one of them is to increase the levels of an enzyme in cassava roots which increases the amounts of protein and free amino acids while reducing residual cyanogen levels ( Narayanan et al., PLoS One 6, e21996, 2011 ) and the other is to use miRNA technology to increase the resistance of the plant to attack by the viruses ( Patil et al, Mol Plant Pathol 12, 3141, 2011 ). These are two fine examples of the use of the latest arsenals of molecular biology in the service of the poor. For a composite review of the advances made in the field, please see Sayre et al, The BioCassava plus program: biofortification of cassava for sub-Saharan Africa. Annu Rev Plant Biolo gy 62, 251-72, 2011.
Such advances in plant sciences cannot be done by selective breeding or grafting alone. We need to use the latest methods of biotechnology be it introducing new genes, knocking out existing genes, adding material to the soil (biofortification), or other such methods. Tests in the lab and in the field, followed by safety studies are essential before releasing it to the world. Biocassava Plus has decided to do all these and expects to release its products only by 2017. And we hope these will be freely available to all, and not be owned by monopolies, since half the controversy today about biotechnologically developed materials is about ownership and monopoly. The Gates Foundation is supporting the activities of Biocassava Plus an example of the commitment of the world's richest to help serve the world's poorest. One therefore expects that it will ensure that Cassava 2.0 will be freely available to all. D. BALASUBRAMANIAN dbala@lvpei.org
India's alarming share of global new leprosy cases India's mangrove cover rises
India recorded a net increase of 23.34 sq. km of mangrove cover between 2009 and 2011, thanks to efforts of one of the most industrialised states, Gujarat, in planting and regenerating the ecosystem rich in biodiversity. The new biennial assessment report by the Forest Survey of India (FSI) has commended Gujarat's contribution in planting and regenerating the mangroves, a salt tolerant plant community, which harbours a number of critically endangered flora and fauna species. Compared with 2009 assessment, there has been a net increase of 23.34 sq. km in the mangrove cover of the country. This can be attributed to increased plantations particularly in Gujarat state and regeneration of natural mangrove areas, according to the assessment by the FSI, an arm of Union Environment Ministry. Mangroves in India account for about three per cent of the world's mangrove vegetation. The report says mangrove cover in India is 4,662 sq. km, which is 0.14 per cent of the country's total geographical area. Sundarbans in West Bengal accounts for almost half of the total area under mangroves in the country. The very dense mangrove comprises 1,403 sq. km (30.10 per cent of the total mangrove cover), moderately dense mangrove is 1,658.12 sq. km (35.57 per cent) while open mangroves cover
an area of 1,600.44 sq. km (33 per cent). Mangrove forests are regarded as the most productive wetlands in the world on account of the large quantities of organic and inorganic nutrients released in the coastal waters by these ecosystems. They also act as nurseries for fin fish, shell fish, crustaceans and molluscs. PTI Mangroves in India account for about three per cent of the world's mangrove vegetation
Insect excreta
Do small insects like mosquitoes and ants excrete solid waste? Are these excreta visible to the naked eye? P.K. VISVESVARAN Chennai Insects feed on different types of food and the nature of their excretory materials mainly depends on the type of foods that they consume. Insects feeding on liquid diet generally excrete liquid waste, whereas insects feeding on solid food produce dark coloured fecal pellets. The excretory substance of an insect is discharged from the anus and it contains the undigested food from the gut and metabolic excretions from the Malpighian tubules, the slender outgrowths of the gut that float freely in the blood. Insect gut is composed of fore-, mid- and hind-guts. The semi-solidified wastes and undigested food wastes move to the hind-gut and become part of the feces. The rectal pads in hindgut reabsorb most of the water, salts and other molecules in the feces. Finally, the remaining undigested food materials and the semi-solid wastes are excreted as feces. Adult mosquitoes of both the sexes feed on nectar and other sugar sources. However, female mosquitoes necessarily feed on blood meal to produce more eggs. The proteins in the blood meal are hydrolyzed in the midgut into free aminoacids which are essential for the synthesis of its egg yolk proteins. Because of the liquid diet, mosquito adults excrete the sticky feces. However, the feces are not visible unless a large number of mosquitoes excrete in a confined area. The excretory wastes of ants cannot be generalized since there are several thousand ant species present and their diets greatly vary. Since ants are social insects that live in colonies, they mostly have an organized waste (including excretory wastes) disposal or utilization. Ant species such as African weaver ants deposit fecal droplets containing a colony-specific material surrounding their nests. A few other ant species maintain external waste heaps outside
their nests. However, these waste heaps are not only meant for the excretory wastes, but also for different wastes from the colony. Hence, it is extremely difficult to see the solid or liquid excretory wastes of small insects, unless they are produced by a group or colony in a confined area. R. SRINIVASAN Entomologist and Head of Entomology Group The World Vegetable Center Tainan, Taiwan
down caste feelings in all the villages it is being implemented. Farmers are now learning to work in co-operation as they realise that working together can help raise income levels. I worked as a tender coconut seller at the railway station. Today I own animals, do some farming in my meagre lands, and this project has given me hope, added some respect to my life, says Mr. Narasimiah another beneficiary-farmer. Politicians remember us only during elections. I thought my life was doomed. I worked whenever I got some menial work. Mostly it was hunger, debt and frustration. But today thanks to IFS I can also say I am a farmer, says Mr. Venkatesh One thing the project taught me was that suicides are not the answer to our problems. I am confident today because I get moral support and encouragement from the University. When I have a doubt I approach them for guidance. Previously it proved tough for me to maintain the struggle against odds and support my family, he says. Ironies The ironies in these suicides are that farmers who ended their lives owed only a couple of thousands as repayment. A pro-active approach, right suggestions, and personal interaction could have helped prevent this. But there is no use in doing a post mortem. We want to help our farmers and are doing all that is possible to ensure that they are happy, says Dr. Gowda. When this project was discussed with a secretary rank official in the government, the person, requesting anonymity said: Try to replicate The Central Government can try and replicate this model in different villages across the country to study the impact on a national level. But who is to decide on this? Not farmers or scientists but the agriculture Minister at Delhi. Whether he acts or sits on it as usual is a million dollar question. For more information readers can contact Dr. K. Jagadeeshwara at email: jagadeeshade@rediffmail.com, mobile: 09844998799 and Dr. Narayana Gowda at knarayanagowda@yahoo.co.in, phone: 080-233332442.
plants and animals. The gentle wisdom that the people, the tribals, have gathered over the centuries can be captured in the motto everything depends on everything else. How is what they do better than current practice of monoculture of the same plant over tens or hundreds of hectares, where yields are pushed to high levels through the use of fertilizers, pesticides and weed killer chemicals? Is it the scale of the thing? Each tribal person farms over a couple of hectares at best, while agriculture companies do so over hundreds. The argument For tribals, farming is for livelihood while for companies farming is an industry. Thus, what the tribal does in Koraput will not feed billions. To do so, we have to use manufacturing methods so goes the argument. Can the twain never meet? Is GIAHS a romantic, feel-good notion, or can we learn from the tribals and attempt to scale their practices, yet in a Green way? Would that not help in cutting down the use of chemicals that on one hand help production but harm the environment on the other? Can there be a dialogue of wisdoms between the experiential knowledge of local farmers and the technological expertise of external innovators? In order to do so, we need hard scientific evidence of the advantages of tribal practice, say of one of the GIAHS. Happily enough one such analysis has just been published in the December 13, 2011 issue of PNAS (U.S.). Dr. Xin Chen and associates from the Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China have compared the effect on the ecology and environment of two farming practices. One is the traditional Chinese practice of introducing and breeding fish in rice fields essentially rice-fish intercropping or co-culturing (RF). The others are the usual rice monoculture (RM) that we have become used to on one hand, and fish breeding or fish monoculture (FM) the current way. The group conducted a 6-year field survey to assess and compare the ecosystem stability of RM versus RF, using 31 sampling units. They found that RF maintained the same rice yield and constancy (over the 6 years) as RM, but required 68 per cent less pesticide and 24 per cent less fertilizer; clearly more eco-friendly. In parallel, they compared three treatments without pesticide application: RM, RF and FM. First, they found the yield in RF was better than RM when no pesticide was used. In addition to measuring rice yields (in RM and RF) and fish yield in FM, they also focused on the occurrence of rice pests in RM and RF, and on the interaction between rice and fish in RF. First, they found that the yield of rice to be higher in RF than in RM in the absence of pesticide application. Next, they found positive interactions between the rice plant and the fish; the latter benefited rice by reducing insect posts, weeds and disease. As they bumped against the rice plant stems, they caused plant-hopper insects to fall from the plant, which they ate off. Manure from fish And the fish refuse acted as manure and fertilizer for the rice plant. The rice on its part, helped fish grow by offering shade and reducing the water temperature during the hot season anointercropping loop of rice breeds fish breeds rice. I recommend the reader to access the easy-to-read author summary part of this paper through www.pnas.org/ cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas. 1111043108. Chen concludes saying that their study of the rice-fish co-culture system indicates that modern agricultural systems might be improved by adding species to monocultures through such complementary features. One example Here is one example of the possibility of a dialogue of wisdoms. Dr. M S Swaminathan, in his recent Pinnamaneni Lecture in Vijayawada emphasized the three E's in agriculture: economy, ecology and empowerment.
With the Koraput GIAHS, such a fusion of the E's appears possible. And on a different note, the noted rice scientist E A Siddiq tells me that the Central Rice Research Institute at Cuttack is already experimenting with the rice-fish co-culture method under Indian conditions. Happily the dialogue has begun. Intercropping has been a time-honoured method where the two crops benefit each other; farmers in many countries practice it with benefits. In India Right here in India, intercropping of pigeonpea with sorghum, or pearl millet with groundnut has been successful (thanks to ICRISAT), and coffee with pepper has been successful in Karnataka and at the Araku Valley in Andhra Pradesh. How does one translate this on a large scale, across tens and hundreds of hectares? If we succeed in intercropping plants with plants, or plants with animals, modern large scale agriculture could turn greener. Here is a challenge for the coming years. D. BALASUBRAMANIAN dbala@lvpei.org
Axel Carlson, Muller's former student do not agree with Calabrese. Some feel that Calabrese, a supporter of radiation hormesis (beneficial effect) has conflict of interest. The balance of evidence shows that the edifice of radiation protection is not built on a lie. Dr Evan B. Douple, Associate Chief of Research at the Radiation Effects Research Foundation, Hiroshima, does not think that the LNT hypothesis would have lost its applicability if Professor Muller would not have made the passionate statement in his speech. . by the time the BEIR (Biological Effects of Ionizing Radiation) committees of the National Academy of Sciences began updating the risk estimates, the mutation risk was superseded by the risk of cancer. Having been intimately involved with the BEIR VI and BEIR VII studies, I can assure you that the voluminous data reviewed by the committee members that related to supporting or refuting LNT, was not swayed or overly influenced by the shape of a doseresponse curve in the mutation work of Muller, Douple responded. (Dr Douple was Director, Board on Radiation Effects Research, National Research Council) He is not even sure that Calabrese's interpretation and assessment that Muller was deceptive in his presentation is necessarily accurate or fair. Although somatic mutations became a dogma for radiation carcinogenesis, the LNT for carcinogenesis was based on (a) analyses of cancer induction in rodent models, (b) biophysical characteristics of energy deposition, ionizations, and DNA damage in cells, and (c) the early epidemiological studies of cancer in the Japan A-bomb survivors, he clarified in an e-mail. He does not think that the conjecture and personal interpretation of an untestable accusation will have significant impact among the radiation protection community. Prof Ludwig E. Feinendegen, Heinrich-Heine University, Germany thought that the new revelations on low-dose effects in the realm of biological responses are making an impact on the radiation protection community as it appears currently from the defensive manner of their arguments for keeping the LNT model, at least for the time being. Calabrese has done us a great favour by his new paper on Mueller's mistake. That there is no safe level of radiation continues to be a useful assumption in radiation protection. It is yet to be proved as a scientific fact. Douple believes that the exhaustive efforts of those who claim that demonstrating hormesis (beneficial effect) or the presence of thresholds will revolutionize the radiation protection field are misguided. We need to educate the public regarding the importance of acceptable levels of risk'levels that are believed to include risks, but risks for adverse effects that are so small that one would not be able to observe and measure an excess of the effects with a realistic study. Only then will the fear and paranoia associated with radiation effects gradually become less and less and sources for energy production can be fairly and objectively be evaluated, Douple proposed as a realistic way forward. Regulators want dose limits for enforcing radiation protection. What is the threshold dose value they will accept for enforcement? Calabrese and his followers have not yet responded to my query. The French Academy of Sciences, the only scholarly body which has views closer to those of Calabrese on hormesis conceded that on the basis of present knowledge, it is not possible to define the threshold level (between 5 and 50 mSv) or to provide the evidence for it. The dose limit for workers recommended by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) is 20 mSv per year averaged over five years with no year exceeding 50 mSv. The dose levels to radiation workers achievable are so low that the risk from them is negligible. Negligible risk is no risk at all. That we cannot rule out beneficial effects of radiation is also a comforting thought. K.S. PARTHASARATHY Raja Ramanna Fellow, Department of Atomic Energy ( ksparth@yahoo.co.uk )
Madarame spoke Wednesday at an inquiry investigating the meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi plant caused by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. AP
The research was done jointly by Martin Kaltenbrunner, Siegfried Bauer and other researchers from Johannes Kepler University of Austria as well as Sekitani and other contributors from University of Tokyo. Sekitani said it was possible to make the cells bigger. Power generation by solar cells increases with their size. As this device is soft, it is less prone to damage by bending even if it gets bigger, he said. The team hopes to increase the rate at which the device converts sunlight into electricity and put it to practical use in around five years. PTI The cells are thinner than spider silk and flexible enough to be wrapped around a human hair
cases reduced or corrected their short-sightedness. Dr Larry Kramer, who led the study at the University of Texas Health Science Centre in Houston, said the impact on astronauts' eyesight might become a new limiting factor to long excursions into space. His results, published in the journal Radiology , suggested the abnormalities were worse and more frequent in astronauts who spent longer in weightless, or microgravity, conditions. Kramer said: Consider the possible impact on proposed manned missions to Mars or even the concept of space tourism. Can risks be eventually mitigated? Can abnormalities detected be completely reversed? The next step is confirming the findings, defining causation and working towards a solution based on solid evidence. Four of the astronauts had swelling around the optic nerve, which could affect the transmission of signals from the eye to the brain and, in the longer term, cause nerve fibres to die off. William Tarver, head of flight medicine at Nasa's Johnson Space Centre in Houston, said no astronauts had been ruled out of flying after the findings, which he said were suspicious but not conclusive of intracranial hypertension. Guardian Newspapers Limited, 2012
As the malaria parasite can only reproduce in its banana form', if we can target these scaffold proteins in a vaccine or drug, we may be able to stop it reproducing and prevent malaria transmission entirely, he added. PTI
Managing pineapple disease in sugarcane Managing rhinoceros beetle in coconut Man-made factor in Russian heatwave
The extreme Russian heatwave of 2010 was made three times more likely because of manmade climate change, according to a study led by climate scientists and number-crunched by home PC users. But the size of the event was mostly within natural limits, said the scientists, laying to rest a controversy last year over whether the extreme weather was natural or human-induced. The 2010 heatwave broke all records for Russia temperatures in the central region of the country, including Moscow, were around 10 degree C above what they should have been for the time of year. More than 50,000 people died from respiratory illnesses and heat stress during that time. The temperatures also had a substantial impact on that year's Russian wheat harvest, leading to economic losses of more than $15bn. Two studies published in 2011 looked at the causes of the extreme weather, but they disagreed on whether it was a natural event or whether it was a result of anthropogenic climate change. An American team led by Randy Dole of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) suggested that the heatwave was mostly natural in origin. They based that on the fact that there was no basis for anticipating the heatwave given the conditions which applied at that time in Russia, said Myles Allen, a climate scientist at Oxford University. Heatwaves of that nature had happened in the past on a 100-year timescale and there wasn't an obvious significant trend in temperatures in that region or in the statistics of hot temperatures in that region. They came to the conclusion this was an event that was mostly natural in origin. There was no need to induce climate change to explain this event. A separate study by Stefan Rahmstorf of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research near Berlin suggested otherwise. What they [said] was that the risk of the heatwave occurring had gone up by a substantial factor, the odds of it occurring were 80 per cent due to the large-scale warming trend and, of course, most of that large-scale warming is attributed to human influences on climate, said Allen. To resolve this apparent conundrum, Allen and his team ran a series of climate models that simulated the weather in different parts of the world, using observed data from the 1960s and the 2000s. This allowed them to observe the frequency of extreme weather events in Russia during each decade, with and without the effects of the warming due to human-induced climate change. What we conclude about the Russian heatwave is that the risk has gone by a factor of three, perhaps not as high as Rahmstorf's estimate, but within error bars consistent with theirs, said Allen. But we also point out that Dole et al's conclusion is also correct in the sense that the size of the human contribution to the event was only perhaps a degree or so, whereas the actual event itself was 10C. In terms of size, the 2010 heatwave was mostly natural. In terms of probability
of the event occurring at all, the risk had been increased caused by human activity. The latest study, published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters , was carried out with the resources of the Weather at Home project, which runs regional weather models on the idle processing capacity of the home computers of volunteers. To say with any confidence what caused an extreme weather event, such as the Russian heatwave, you need to run not one but a whole series of climate models, said Friederike Otto of the Environmental Change Institute at Oxford University and an author of the latest research. Our work, using the weatherathome.net project, demonstrates that you don't need a supercomputer to do this, we ask volunteers to run climate prediction experiments on ordinary computers. We show how you can use such an ensemble of simulations to investigate the magnitude and frequency of occurrence of intrinsically unpredictable extreme events. Guardian Newspapers Limited, 2012 In terms of size, the 2010 heatwave was mostly natural The risk had been increased by human activity
how many are able to give up their jobs and a steady income and try something else? A farmer, Mr. Mansukhbhai Patel's personal experience may serve as an example and encouragement for many. A tenth standard school dropout, Mr. Patel, born in a poor farmer family, is credited for inventing an updated cotton stripper machine, that revolutionized cotton cultivation in Gujarat, says Prof Anil Gupta, Vice Chairman, National Innovation Foundation, Ahmedabad. Popular Several cotton mills in the region use the machine now. The machine brought down the cost of cotton stripping from Rs.1 per kg to Rs. 1 for 20 kg, thereby generating good income for farmers and also improving the milling quality. The idea of mechanized stripping of rainfed cotton (V:797 variety) from shells came to him during one of his frequent visits to his village. Hailing from a farming family which also grew cotton in a small way, I was familiar with the recurring expense and production delays, Mr. Patel says. The variety does not require much water and grows well in harsh and dry climate. While most hybrid varieties bear ball cotton, which need to be manually picked from the plant, the indigenous variety bears pods that cannot be opened easily. The pods must be picked, and manually cracked open to extract the ball. Being a tedious and cumbersome procedure, mostly women and children engage in it. During the harvesting season, instead of attending schools several children pluck the balls from the field as day labourers. Dedicated effort Mr. Patel kept mulling over the idea for several months and became convinced that he could develop a machine to strip the cotton lint from partially opened bolls. It took two years of dedicated efforts to come out with the first model. Mr. Patel designed, fabricated and demonstrated his first full-fledged cotton-stripping machine in 1994. The demonstration in his village convinced everyone that mechanizing the tedious process is possible. At the end of a meeting organised after the demonstration of the machine, he found himself flooded with confirmed orders for as many as 50 machines. This, despite the performance not being as good as Mr. Patel wanted it to be. The actual supply of machines was easy. Although the customers had been quite impressed at the time of demonstration, the performance under actual working conditions did not satisfy users. All the machines were returned with complaints. It was eventually found that the malfunction was due to a trivial technical problem. I had to refund the money received and suffered a severe financial setback, says Mr. Patel. More changes But he did not give up. He made more changes to the machine over a period of three more years. Last year, he introduced dust collectors and fitted an automatic feeding system to the machine. He also provided wheel-brackets and castors to make the machine portable. Patents have been granted in India and U.S. for this machine. Rural people must try to be innovative. Like Mr. Patel, there are several innovative farmers who, with a little imagination and hours of labour, are trying to make back breaking work easier for their ilk, says Prof. Gupta. Value addition Mansukhbhai's stripping machine innovation was scouted by SRISTI. Grassroots Innovations Augmentation Network (GIAN - West) that took up the task of value addition. Mr. Mansukhbhai could secure a Rs 5,80,000 under Technopreneur Promotion Program (TePP). Gian also arranged for technical assistance from National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad.
For more details contact Mr. Mansukhbhai Patel , Chetak Industries, 113, GIDC Industrial Estate, Hansalpur, Viramgam, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, Mobile: 9824089035, Ph: 02715-235108.
More physical activity, better school grades Mouse to elephant in 24 million generations
Scientists have for the first time measured how fast large-scale evolution can occur in mammals, showing it takes 24 million generations for a mouse-sized animal to evolve to the size of an elephant.
The new findings support that view, but Srf doesn't work in the way the researchers had anticipated. Srf was known to control many other genes within muscle fibers. That Srf also influences the activities of the satellite stem cells came as a surprise. Mice with muscle fibers lacking Srf are no longer able to grow when they are experimentally overloaded, the new research shows. That's because satellite cells don't get the message to proliferate and fuse with those preexisting myofibers. Srf works through a network of genes, including one known as Cox2. That raises the intriguing possibility that commonly used Cox2 inhibitorsthink ibuprofen might work against muscle growth or recovery, Sotiropoulos notes. Treatments designed to tweak this network of factors might be used to wake muscle stem cells up and enhance muscle growth in circumstances such as aging or following long periods of bed rest, she says. Most likely, such therapies would be more successfully directed not at Srf itself, which has varied roles, but at its targets. It may be difficult to find a beneficial amount of Srf, Sotiropoulos says. Its targets, interleukins and prostaglandins, may be easier to manipulate. Our Bureau
same children completing similar puzzles after their usual midday naps. The study also showed a 31 per cent increase in negative emotional responses of nap-deprived toddlers when they attempted to complete unsolvable puzzles when compared with puzzle-solving attempts after they had napped. In addition, the study found a 39 per cent decrease in the expression of confusion' when nap-deprived toddlers attempted to put together unsolvable puzzles. Confusion is not bad it's a complex emotion showing a child knows something does not add up, said LeBourgeois. Our Bureau
New iridescent lizard, sea snake species discovered New light on early bipedalism
If the ability to walk and run on two legs (bipedalism) sets humans apart from apes, could this transition from tree-climbing to terrestrial walking have been smooth? Scientists think not, and the evidence provided in a paper published today (March 29) in Nature , shows why. A partially preserved skeleton of a single foot from a site (Worsanso-Mille) in the central Afar region of Ethiopia provides important evidence of the human ancestor's ability to walk on land while still retaining the ability to climb trees. The taxonomic affinity of the new specimen remains undetermined. The skeletal remains, dated to around 3.4 million years ago, do not match the Australopithecus afarensis early humans (hominins) found between 2.9 million years to 3.6 million years ago. In fact, the fossil shows close resemblance to the earlier Ardipithecus ramidus (about 4.4 million years ago) with a divergent and relatively short big toe, as in the case of apes. By comparing the functional morphology and proportions of several early hominin foot elements, the researchers have built a strong case to test the diversity in bipedalism in early humans. The new species indicates the presence of more than one hominin locomotor adaptation at the beginning of Late Pliocene epoch.
The study also records the presence of more than one early human species in eastern Africa around 3.4 million years ago. Anatomically, the fossil foot falls between modern humans and gorillas, the authors note. While certain features resemble As. Afarensis, it differs from chimpanzees and from African apes. Immaterial of its affinity to any species, the fossil foot while still retaining certain anatomical characteristics of tree climbers, has features that clearly show an ability to walk on land. The foot skeleton represents a hominin despite retaining the grasping capacity, they write. When on the ground it was at least facultatively bipedal, although it may have practised bipedalism in a novel fashion. As a News and Views piece in the same issue of the journal notes, the close resemblance of the fossil to Ar. Ramidus makes a strong case of tree-climbing bipedal early humans roaming eastern Africa from 3.4 million years to 4.4 millions years ago, the same time As. Afarensis walked firmly on the ground. Though other hominins like As. Sediba and Homo habilis had many features that resembled the feet of modern humans, it was not until the arrival of Homo erectus that truly human-like feet finally evolved.
long, which was piled in huge heaps of up to 600 animals near the vents. Unlike other crabs it has a dense mat of hair on its chest which it is thought to use to grow bacteria to eat. For the first time researchers, using a Remotely Operated Vehicle, have been able to explore the East Scotia Ridge deep beneath the Southern Ocean. Hydrothermal vents are home to animals found nowhere else on the planet that get their energy from breaking down chemicals, said Professor Alex Rogers of Oxford University's Department of Zoology, who led the research. IANS
adulthood. Similarly, women with uncontrolled gestational diabetes also stand to suffer from diabetes at a later point in their life. In this programme, the glucose level of all women with gestational diabetes will be controlled either through diet manipulation or insulin. Though some studies show that children born to mothers with gestational diabetes are more prone to developing diabetes, there is no hard data to support this. According to Dr. Balaji, this study will be the first to provide long term data of factors that cause diabetes in children even when they are born to women whose gestational diabetes has been controlled. Screening of pregnant women for gestational diabetes will be done immaterial of the gestation period, said Dr. Balaji. This becomes essential as gestational diabetes can be detected as early as at 16 weeks of gestation and even in those who have normal glucose level in the first and second trimester can turn up positive for gestational diabetes during the third trimester. The pilot study conducted by Dr. Balaji, Dr. Seshiah and Dr. Madhuri Balaji together with the State government has been rolled out throughout the Tamil Nadu. Controlling gestational diabetes has now become a national programme and has been implemented in four States, including Bihar.
Dr. Sheila MacNeil at the University of Sheffield, UK combines the best of both methods. While only a small portion of the tissue is removed from the healthy eye (as in the case of CLET), the stem cell expansion takes place not in the lab but in the damaged eye itself. This ensures that the healthy eye is never damaged, the procedure is cheaper and there is less risk of contamination (as the expansion does not take place in a lab). It would cost only half the earlier procedure (CLET), he stressed. If the medium used in the lab provides nutrients for the stem cells, the tear cells do the same job in this case. The doctors began trying the new technique during the later part of 2009 and performed most of the operations in 2010 and 2011. Altogether 15 cases have been done so far, of which ten patients have already completed six months of observation time post operation. The procedure The procedure is quite simple and takes about an hour to perform. In this, the damaged eye is first cleaned and an amniotic membrane is pasted on the cornea using biological glue. The 2 mm by 2 mm limbal tissue harvested from the healthy eye is then cut into eight to nine pieces and placed them on the membrane. Glue is then applied on the cut limbal tissue so that it sticks to the membrane. The eye is then bandaged using soft contact lens. The amniotic membrane acts as a scaffold on which the stem cells grow and expand, Dr. Sangwan explained. It took the same time [as the CLET technique] for the damaged cornea to be repaired. So simple is the procedure that it can be widely adopted by specialists across the country. With extra training, cornea specialists can perform the operation, he assured.
introductions and explanations, the eager farmers expressed their astonishment and happiness to learn that the paddy yield recorded a fair increase. So far, for the last several years I could harvest 1 to 1.75 tonnes of grains from an acre. But after applying Mr. Kulandaisamys inputs I harvested about 2. 43 tonnes from an acre. It is 400 kgs more than the usual yield, says Mr. Ranganathan. In addition he agrees that the cultivation cost also scaled down. First time Being a conventional farmer all these years, Mr. Ranganathans experience in organic agriculture according to him was not noteworthy. He says that the medias role in highlighting the awareness and importance of going organic urged me to try it. And he adds that even now I am sceptical as to how the entire country can afford organic inputs, especially with dwindling land and cattle resources. But personally I am convinced and am planning to increase my acreage in the coming years to check whether it is sustainable. I always believe that organic farming is for health, and chemicals for greater production, he says. Many farmers who attended the harvest programme wanted the Government must make such practices popular in other areas of the state also. Need of the hour As a farmer in the delta region growing paddy all my life, this is just what I need. Today for an acre of chemicals I need to spend anything between Rs. 2,500 to Rs. 3,000 as input cost alone. In addition, the labour shortage and low price makes it practically impossible for me to break even. But Mr. Kulandaisamys input for an acre costs Rs. 800 to Rs. 1,000 and I can hope to save some amount on the input, says Mr. Ganesan, from Tirukatupalli village. According to Mr. Kulandaisamy not only paddy but any crop can be grown well using this organic plus input. If farmers are able to follow my suggestion dedicatedly then I can assure that their yield can be increased. Those interested can visit my farm, factory at Thanjavur to see and get convinced personally, he says. University support When contacted, the Vice Chancellor of the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University Dr. P. Murugesa Boopathi expressed surprise on the yield increase and promised to help Mr. Kulandaisamy. It is the duty of the University and our scientists to motivate such persons, he says. Readers can contact Mr. S. Ranganathan on phone at: 04367-252170, mobile: 09442281037, and Mr. Kulandaisamy, website: www.tarigroup.com, mobiles: 98430-59117 and 98434-39909 to know more.
a user wants from only a few key presses. Phones can often predict a completely random word often with hilarious results. For example, it is easy to end up asking a friend out for a quick riot (pint) or telling them about being stuck in a Steve (queue). A study in 2009 found predictive text messaging changes the way children's brains work and makes them more likely to make mistakes generally. Scientists said the system trains young people to be fast but inaccurate. Previous research has shown that predictive texting makes people sloppy when it comes to spelling, with many flummoxed by words such as questionnaire, accommodate and definitely. IANS
Heart attacks during pregnancy tend to be more severe, lead to more complications, and also occur for different reasons than commonly seen in the non-pregnant general population, says new research.
How does she manage any pest attack? She says: As long as farmers know the medicinal value and methods of using neem, basil, parthenium leaves, or cow's urine as pest repellents, the problem can easily be tackled. When there are so many low cost methods and bio-pesticides available, which can be made easily in the farm and are effective, a farmer need not borrow at high interest rates for growing crops. Two main problems Today's agriculture faces two main problems, she says. One pertains to lowering the input cost, and the other, marketing. If these two are solved then our farmers will succeed, she says. Her advice to farmers is that even if one is not fully convinced of practising organic agriculture, he or she can try using both the natural inputs in a piece of land and also grow crops using chemicals in the rest. Seeing is believing. This practice over time can change a farmer's perspective towards organic methods, she says. Cost of inputs Today one cannot do chemical farming alone. Shortage of the inputs and the cost factor really create a problem for farmers. Natural inputs need to be used if we need to come out of excessive spending on chemicals, she argues. Instead of depending on some unknown middlemen to exploit the farmers it would be better if farmers organise themselves into small groups and start some sort of cooperative farming and marketing on their own. For more information readers can contact Mrs. A.L Somala Devi, No 145-Hemmanahalli, Athgoor, Hobali, Maddur taluk, Mandya district, Karnataka:571428, mobile:09845746046.
Railway track
In a railway track or road at a curve, the inner track/edge is comparatively less in height then the outer. Why? V.G. SATHIYANARAYANAN Chennai The phenomenon of raising outer rail of the curved track above the inner track is called banking. This is done in the case of roads as well. When a vehicle moves on a straight rail/road, the following three kinds of force act on it: 1) The weight of the vehicle acting vertically downwards, 2) Normal reaction provided by the road, acting upwards, to support the weight of the vehicle, and 3) Frictional force acting between contact area of wheels and road surface which helps the vehicle move forward. This fact holds true for all kinds of vehicles ranging from cycles and trucks to trains. A vehicle moving at a fast speed on a straight rail/road has a large inertia, i.e. tendency to keep moving in the same direction at the same speed. When it takes a circular turn on a curved rail/road, it experiences an additional force, termed as centripetal force, acting towards the
centre of the circle. While rounding the curve as the vehicle has tendency to leave curved path and regain straight line path, force of friction between wheels and ground provides necessary centripetal force. Mathematical calculations show that if the rail/road along the curve is not banked i.e. road is levelled, the maximum permissible speed with which a vehicle can go depends on the above mentioned frictional force. The force of friction is not reliable to provide the required centripetal force as it tends to decrease when the road is wet or tyres of vehicle are worn out. If any attempt is made to run it at a greater speed, the vehicle is likely to skid and go out of track. In order that the vehicle can go round the curved track at a reasonable speed without skidding, the sufficient centripetal force is managed for it by banking the road. On a banked road, the normal reaction provided by the ground acts perpendicular to the ground and which has two components namely 1) The vertical component which balances the weight of the vehicle. 2) The horizontal component which provides necessary centripetal force to the vehicle. Banking of the roads not only eliminates large dependency on frictional forces but also increase the maximum permissible velocity with which vehicles can take circular turn. ROCKY RANJAN BHARTI Warangal, Andhra Pradesh
minimum of 3-4 years for them to yield and start giving some income to the affected farmers. But today a farmer needs money, that too as soon as possible. In agriculture it is not possible to earn fast. It takes time and needs patience. But if farmers decide to rear animals like goats, sheep, turkey, guinea fowls and pigs, their income will come quicker, he says. To rear these animals, farmers don't need to invest much. These animals can be reared in open places, in backyards and require minimal care and attention. But their economic returns are quite encouraging. In fact the demand for guinea fowls in Kerala is so huge that our farmers must opt to start rearing them apart from broilers and layers. Present demand for the birds is nearly five lakhs and we hardly supply 3,000 birds. The rest comes from Orissa and other states. A one-day-old chick cost Rs. 45 from private dealers, he adds. Prepared to guide Our University is ready to help interested farmers to set up such vocations. We are prepared to guide and help them right from starting a new venture to getting financial assistance. All farmers need to do is to call, fix an appointment and come over to meet us personally, he explains. According to Dr. Prabakaran if farmers start rearing poultry, they can get a reasonable remuneration to see them through difficult times. For instance, poultries start yielding income from the sixth or seventh month onwards to provide the much needed financial support. Tanuvas has developed new breeds of goat and poultry birds that can usher in good income for the affected farmers. Supplement income Farmers need not despair as new avenues are open to them and they can try to supplement their income until crop prospects are revived and improved, says, Dr. Prabakaran. The Government, for its part, is distributing free milch cows, goats and sheep to help these farmers, and has instructed the University to start conducting exhibitions on different aspects of livestock rearing, maintenance, and more importantly the marketing channels for the same once every three months in different regions. The main objective of organizing such exhibitions is to increase the awareness about the need for rearing some animals to increase income among farmers. While there is no doubt that information relating to farm animals and their maintenance is available both on the net and at several institutes of our university, the sad fact is that not many patronize them, rues Dr. Prabakaran. These regular exhibitions promise to break all that. It is like a proactive action from the scientists to reach the farmers doorsteps and offer all information and guide to him, he says hopefully. Several exhibits The first exhibition is going to be held at Srirangam, Tiruchi, from Feb 24 to 26th and is expected to become popular among farmers. Several stalls are going to be set up, with an aim to provide every opportunity to the livestock farmers to gain knowledge about scientific technologies appropriate to be adopted in the region. . Well organized 50 concept based stalls are going to be set up complete with charts, pamphlets, books, CDs and experts for the farmers to interact with. Live exhibits will also be displayed. Seminars and guest lectures on profitable micro entrepreneurial livestock enterprises are also going to be held on all the three days. Interested readers can call Dr. R. Prabakaran on mobile: 94440-81208, phone: 044-25551574 and 25551575 or email him at karanmgk@gmail.com to get guidance.
Once a wetland is degraded, it does not recover its normal assemblage of plants or its rich stores of organic soil carbon, which both affect natural cycles of water and nutrients, for many years.
different variants. The study also revealed that the increased risk is not mediated by traditional cardiovascular risk factors such as high systolic blood pressure and HDL cholesterol. No role Also, the association between haplogroup I and increased risk of CAD was independent of age and other socioeconomic and lifestyle risk factors such as body-mass index, diabetes, smoking, alcohol consumption, and socioeconomic status. Predictive value But the authors caution that the haplogroup I on its own is unlikely to offer sufficiently high positive predictive value of coronary artery disease. But they also state in the same breath that the relative estimates of coronary artery disease risk in carriers of haplogroup I are not trivial from the genetic association analysis point of view. Most importantly, the study found that men with haplogroup I showed downregulation (where the cells are made less sensitive to a hormone or another agent) of adaptive immunity that provides much more sophisticated immune response. Previous studies have shown that dysfunction of immune response is a well established contributor to atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease. Those with haplogroup I were particularly vulnerable to HIV infection, the authors state. It took longer time to suppress HIV, and these people showed accelerated progression from HIV state to full-blown AIDS. Mortality from AIDS was also significantly higher in those not belonging to haplogroup I. But it does not stop with downregulation of adaptive immunity. It upregulates inflammatory response pathways in the immune system cells. This heightened inflammatory response affects cardiovascular system. Carriers of haplogroup I would have probably arrived from the Middle East around 25,000 years ago and spread throughout Europe, the authors postulate. This is based on the absence of this variant in indigenous populations outside Europe. The study best fits the north-south gradient in west Europe where death from CAD is much higher in the northern populations in Scandinavia, Germany and the Netherlands. The prevalence of haplogroup I in these countries is 15 per cent to 40 per cent. However, the prevalence of this variant in people from countries like France, Spain and Switzerland in the south of west Europe is lesser. Data for this study was obtained from two large studies in the UK the cross-sectional British Heart Foundation Family Heart Study, and the prospective West of Scotland Coronary Prevention Study. Nearly 90 per cent of the more than 3,200 men participating in these two studies belonged either to haplogroup I or another variant.
Rubber-mixed bitumen for roads Running hot and cold in the deep sea
During an expedition in 2010 off Costa Rica, scientists found hot hydrothermal vent systems intersecting cold seeps of methane, which is extremely rare.
National Science Day is celebrated on February 28. This is to celebrate the day in 1928 when Indian scientist Sir C V Raman announced the discovery the Raman Effect in light scattering which won him the 1930 Nobel Prize in Physics. PTI A free SMS service for mobile users delivers content on science and related areas
Among the several enterprising farmers who benefited by our scientists' interaction is one Mr. P.V.Koran from Pallikara. The farmer adopted an intensive integrated mixed farming in his 0.32 ha coconut farm. Besides intercrops pepper, turmeric, yam, banana, he maintains two Jersey cows and different varieties of fodder grass, says Dr. Rajagopal. Net income The farmer earns a net income of Rs.93,775 from the vegetables, milk, and fodder and gets an average of 10litres milk per day. Once he harvested more than five tonnes of turmeric. Likewise, pepper and banana also gave good yield with remunerative price. Vermicompost Encouraged by these advantages he got from the enterprises, Koran also ventured into vermicomposting, using the coconut wastes in the garden. He was the recipient of US $ 250, along with a certificate as best mixed coconut farmer among eight countries. Being a farmer my income today increased rapidly only because of my constant interaction with the institute's scientists. They had the patience and time to make me understand about new technologies and were very friendly in their approach, says the farmer. For more details readers can contact Mr. P.V. Koran at Pallippuzha house, Pakkam post, Pallikkara, Kasaragod District, Kerala: 671 316, Phone: 0467-2410044 and Dr. Rajagopal at email: rajvel44@gmail.com, phone: 09441200217.
For further queries and submission of essays, please contact : Dr.D.Sukumar, Co-ordinator, farmer/fishers innovation documentation (FID), email : sukuds@gmail.com, Tuticorin: 628008, mobile: 9443844820 Tamil Nadu. "We are seeking, partnership to make this initiative a national movement. Those interested to join can email us at Dean, at mcnraju@gmail.com and deanfcri@gmail.com, Phone: 0461-2340154, mobile: 9442551957 adds Mr. Nandeesha.
Slapped skin
Why does the place where one is slapped look red? SALMAN SAEED Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh Lewis in 1927 described triple response to skin injury. The triple response is a result of a firm strong stroke across the skin like a slap or pencil point slash. It contains a series of responses: 1. red reaction; 2. flare; 3. wheal. The red reaction: It is due to filling of the smallest vessels of the skin, called the capillaries. It is as a result of release of histamine from the damaged skin which dilates these capillaries. The red reaction outlines the stroke and is sometimes called as red line. It is not mediated by nerves. Histamine is a polypeptide (complex protein), present in skin, intestines and lungs, i.e., at the surfaces in contact with the outside world. When it is released it causes allergic skin reaction, urticaria, bronchial asthma and ulcers in stomach. Flare: Flare is the phase after red reaction and is due to filling of smaller arteries of skin called arterioles. Arterioles are larger than capillaries. Flare is an irregular red area around the red line. The skin temperature in the flare region is raised because of increased blood flow. It is mediated by nerves. As flare is due to nerves, the arterial filling is long lasting, may spread around and may remain for a few hours. Wheal: Wheal means, a suddenly formed elevation of the skin surface. If the skin stroke is strong enough a raised area appears extending from red line but within the flare area. Eventually, the raised area may develop into a blister. This is due to further increase in blood filling of both capillaries and arterioles. This response is again due to histamine. Some individuals are unusually prone to develop a striking triple response. This response is common to wide variety of skin injuries like a slap, slash, firm pressure and also to chemicals like creams and ointments. DR. R. RAM Associate Professor Nephrology, NIMS
Hyderabad
Scope for extending the area for agriculture is limited due to diversion of more lands every year for non-agricultural purposes. However, we have very good varieties and hybrids with highyield and high-quality potentials in almost all crops already on hand. There is not much scope to make further significant break-through in the genetic potentials of the varieties of the crops in near future. So, the only possible scope to maximize crop production with the available varieties is to enhance and sustain the productivity through integrated and balanced soil fertility management practices. Dr. K. Kumaraswamy former ProfessorDepartment of Soil Science TNAU, Coimbatore
Strength of aerogel
A pound of aerogel, an amazing, ultra lightweight material, is enough to build a boat capable of carrying half tonne loads, says a study. Aerogel, a buoyant material, is among the lightest solid substances on earth. Composed of tiny nano-fibrils, it is derived from plant cellulose and mimics the water strider, an insect which can walk on water on long, thin feet.
Olli Ikkala, from the Helsinki University of Technology, Espoo, Finland, said aerogels are so light that some of them are denoted as solid smoke. They also have remarkable mechanical properties and are flexible. It can create applications for cleaning up oil spills, helping create sensors to detect environmental pollution, miniaturized military bots, and even children's toys and super-buoyant beach floats. Ikkala pointed out that cellulose is the most abundant polymer on Earth. Cellulose is also a renewable and sustainable raw material that could be used in many new ways. It can be of great potential value in helping the world shift to materials that do not require petroleum for manufacture, Ikkala explained. The use of wood-based cellulose does not influence the food supply or prices, like corn or other crops. We are really delighted to see how cellulose is moving beyond traditional applications, such as paper and textiles, and finding new high technology applications, said Ikkala. IANS
Malcolm McRobb, the University of Glasgow postgraduate student leading the project's mechanical design team, said: A web such as this, permanently deployed in space, will give engineers a stable and robust foundation for larger structures to be built on. It will also cut down the amount of equipment that each space mission needs to take into orbit, which will bring down the cost of space construction and help make ambitious projects more financially viable. It could lead to the development of solar sails to allow chemical-free propulsion, orbital solar panels to generate solar power more effectively, or the development of large-scale antennae to help us learn more about the universe. Our Bureau
He said: Eventually my vision is that you have a limited herd of donor animals in the world that you keep in stock and that you get your cells form there. Each animal will be able to produce about a million times more meat through the lab based technique than through traditional method of butchery. According to the scientists, making a complete burger will require 3,000 strips of muscle tissue, each of which measures about three cm long by 1.5 cm wide, with a thickness of halfa millimetre and takes six weeks to produce. The meat will then be ground up with 200 strips of fat tissue, produced in the same way, to make a hamburger. To produce the meat, stem cells are placed in a broth containing vital nutrients and serum from a cow foetus which allow them to grow into muscle cells and multiply up to 30 times. The strips of meat begin contracting like real muscle cells, and are attached to velcro and stretched to boost this process and keep them supple. At the moment the method produces meat with realistic fibres and a pinkishyellow tinge, but the scientists expect to produce more authentically coloured strips in near future. The project, funded by a wealthy and anonymous individual aims to slash the number of cattle farmed for food, and in doing so reduce one of the major contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. PTI
To the query on improvements in producing optimal images of obese patients, Dr Uppot stated that manufacturers of imaging equipment have tried to address the issue by: (1) Increasing weight limits and gantry/bore diameters of their equipment so that patients can fit. (2) Used technology to improve the image quality such as harmonic imaging for ultrasound and (3) and used technology to try to decrease the increased radiation doses for CT in obese patients. The Lancet (November 20, 2010) reported that currently in India, almost 1 in 5 men and over 1 in 6 women are overweight. In some urban areas, the rates are as high as 40 per cent. But I do not know of any Indian publication on the difficulties of imaging obese patients. The medical community in India must appreciate the issues and be prepared to face the challenges of imaging overweight patients K.S. PARTHASARATHY Raja Ramanana fellow, Department of Atomic Energy ( ksparth@yahoo.co.uk )
Kepler 35 b In the case of Kepler 35 b, the transiting planet has 13 per cent of the mass of Jupiter and 73 per cent of radius of Jupiter. The planet takes just 131 days to complete one orbit around the binary stars. The stars (A and B) have an orbital period of 21 days. Four transits by the two stars were detected. Of the four, three were made by the primary star moving across the secondary star, and one transit made by the secondary star moving across the primary star. Too hot for life While Kepler-16 b, which was discovered last year is slightly too cold to support life, both Kepler-34 b and Kepler-35 b are too hot, notes a news item published in the same issue of Nature . The planets orbiting the binary stars experience extreme seasons due to the orbital motion of the two stars. This is because the the light received from their parent stars changes not only during the stars' orbital periods (tens of days) and the planetary orbital period (hundreds of days), but also on much longer timescales through precession [slow changes in the rotational or orbital parameters] of the orbits due to three-body effects. The average amount of stellar energy received by the Kepler-34 b planet is 2.4 times the Earth's insolation, with a variation of 250 per cent. Similarly, in the case of Kepler-35 b, the insolation is 3.6 times the Earth's, with a variation of 160 per cent. It must also be noted that unlike planets in the Solar System, these bodies do not follow the same path on successive orbits. This is due to the gravitational effects between the three bodies.
What's clear is Fukushima will serve as a test case that the world is watching for long-term exposure to low-dose radiation. More than 280,000 people live in Fukushima city alone, though some have left, and many more live in surrounding towns, including many of the 100,000 who have been evacuated from the nogo zone. People are scared to death, says Wolfgang Weiss, chairman of the U.N. Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation, which is studying Fukushima. They are thinking, Tell me. Is it good or bad?' We can't tell them. ... Life is risky. It hasn't helped that the government has given only the most optimistic scenarios of the risks to avoid mass panic. Public scepticism Public scepticism of government assurances grew when the man appointed as health adviser for Fukushima prefecture, Shunichi Yamashita, repeatedly said exposure to 100 millisieverts of radiation a year was safe. Studies have found that cancer risks rise at an annual exposure of 100 millsieverts or above but aren't statistically detectable at lower levels. Below 100, experts can't say for sure whether it's safe, just that a link to cancer can't be proven. In Fukushima and nearby areas, outside the 20-kilometre evacuation zone, the annual exposure is 20 millisieverts in some places and as high as 50 in others. Before the disaster, people in Japan were exposed to about 1 millisievert of natural background radiation a year; in the United States the average is about 3 millisieverts. The controversy earned Yamashita a nickname Mr. 100 Millisieverts. Toshiso Kosako, a professor at the University of Tokyo's graduate school, stepped down as government adviser last year in a tearful protest of Yamashita's views. Kouta Miyazaki is among those who have lost confidence in the government. The nature of the threat has changed over time. Initially, it was exposure to the large releases of radiation from explosions at the plant. The risk from leaks remains but at a much reduced level. These days, the main danger is less obvious but just as real consuming contaminated food and water and ingesting radioactive particles. Radioactive material has accumulated in gutters where rainwater collects and shrubs with leaves that suck in radiation. The risk is cumulative. The radioactivity in one's body builds up through various activities, including eating contaminated food every day or staying in a hot spot for an extended period. Schools are restricting outdoor activities, and radiation meters dot the streets. Some people are using their own devices to measure radioactivity. At area hospitals, thousands of people are on waiting lists to get their radiation levels measured with whole-body counters. One child at Minami Soma Hospital, southeast of Fukushima, was found with 2,653 becquerels of radioactive cesium. It's a big number, but is it dangerous? Jacques Lochard, an International Commission on Radiological Protection official advising Fukushima prefecture, says the child's exposure could amount to as little as 0.3 millisieverts a year, or as much as 8 millisieverts, depending on how the child was exposed to the radiation. Most residents know is that their bodies are contaminated. What the numbers mean is unanswered. Kunihiko Takeda, a nuclear and ecology expert who has been more outspoken about the dangers than many others, says people become less afraid after he explains the risks. They are freed from the state of not knowing, says Takeda, who has a blog with instructions on how parents can protect their children from radiation. They now know what to do and can make decisions on their own. Still, Lochard says, There is no safe level. It is a small risk but not zero. After the 1986 Chernobyl accident, more than 6,000 thyroid cancers clearly linked to radioactive iodine were found in children and adolescents. A study by Weiss' U.N. committee found
exposure to iodine was lower in Fukushima than at Chernobyl. Still, parents are worried because the Chernobyl cancers didn't emerge until a couple of years later. Nobody can say this is over. I'd be the last to say that, Weiss says. Mayor Shouji Nishida of Date, a city of 66,000 people in Fukushima prefecture, says his community is preparing for the future by relying less on the central government, and by adjusting expectations. He believes 5 millisieverts of radiation a year five times the typical amount of background radiation in Japan is a realistic goal. AP
During the assembly of normal threads there are many spaces between individual fibres, he said.What we achieved left no space among the filaments. It made the strings stronger. This can have all sorts of applications in our day-to-day lives, he said, adding 300 female Nephila maculata spiders had provided his raw materials. The strength and durability of spider silk is not a new discovery, with previous studies showing it can withstand high temperatures and the effects of ultraviolet light. Osaki once produced a rope spun from spider silk that he said could theoretically support a 600 kilogram weight. The strings have a different sound effect. His latest creation is making waves among musicians, who have praised the sonorous quality of the spider silk violin strings for their soft and profound timbre. Professional violinists have said they can tell the difference whether the strings are on a Stradivarius or on Osaki's own $1,200 violin, he said.It's one thing to create scientifically meaningful items, but I also wanted to produce something that would be socially accepted by ordinary people, he said. Details of Osaki's research will be published in Physical Review Letters , a journal of the American Physical Society. AFP
Wet clothes
In the rainy season, clothes, when not dried properly, start stinking. Why? JAYALAXMI Secunderabad, Andhra Pradesh Many species of plant and animal kingdoms besides those that belong to neither of these two kingdoms (such as bacteria) release their spores and fertilized eggs into the environment as part of their reproductive phase of life. Normally, these spores or eggs are released some time before the monsoons waiting for a ripe opportunity to hatch, germinate or multiply. Such spores and encapsulated eggs (also known as cysts), in abundance, either stay put in the layers of dry soil or keep floating like other dust particles in the atmosphere. Once rainy season advents, the spores and cysts are ready to hatch as the humidity, temperature and other physical conditions are poised well. Though the spores and cysts are in a state of suspended animation, hardly requiring any nutrients, respiration and other physiological processes such as metabolism and growth, the hatched ones are like any other living beings engaged in all kinds of biological processes.
Hence, they do need habitats. The fibrous fabric of the clothes which are not dried properly, come very handy as grounds of attachments for the stability (by anchoring), sustenance, survival and growth of the colonies of the hatched spores and cysts. The wetness of such clothes meets the water requirement of their physiology whereas the fabric enables them have access to the atmospheric oxygen. The dirt on the clothes, the dusty particles in the atmosphere and the dissolved chemical traces in the wetness of the clothes would provide other material needs of the growing colonies. In other words, the improperly dried clothes are living worlds of microscopic life forms. As part of their physiology, these organisms also excrete wastes which contribute to part of the stinking. As these monocellular (single cell organisms) and oligocellular (species with limited number of cell aggregates) are growing, their predators in the atmosphere also feed on them leaving microscopic lumps of nitrogenous, thiolic (sulfur based) and phosphorous substances that add more to the stinking. Clothes which are dried properly would not provide many of the material and physical conditions adequately to the microorganisms for hatching or for survival. Hence, such clothes do not stink that obviously, as the water content, which otherwise serves as medium of material supply, temperature regulator, protective cover, etc, is missing. In seasons other than rainy reason, the spores and cysts are not that populous and abundant in the atmosphere to make use of these features of wet clothes. PROF. A. RAMACHANDRAIAH Editor, Vidyarthi Chekumuki Jana Vignana Vedika, Andhra Pradesh
of the Arabian Sea well in advance of the formation of an MOV there, but the MOV was only a deep depression. In 1999, the mini warm pool was not as intense as that of 1998 but the MOV which formed became a very severe cyclonic storm, indicating little or no influence of the mini warm pool in this case. Similar was the case in 2001. There was hardly any presence of a mini warm pool during 2000, when there was a normal monsoon onset over Kerala (June 1). There was also no MOV that season. Atmospheric water vapour data obtained from satellite can be used for identifying MOV since mid-tropospheric humidity plays an important role in tropical cyclo-genesis. It was observed that in the onset vortex years (1998, 1999 and 2001) atmospheric moisture values were very high during vortex formation and growth. Hindering effect Dr. Ramesh Kumar states that the vortex sucks in moisture from the atmosphere, to sustain itself and grow, which could have otherwise been precipitated as monsoon rainfall over Kerala. Thus an onset vortex can actually hinder monsoon onset. Another important factor in the initiation of monsoon onset over Kerala was the effect of the vortex on moisture-carrying westerlies prior to monsoon onset. In the 2000 normal monsoon onset season the winds were much better organised prior to onset. For other seasons (1998 and 2001) the presence of the vortex over the Arabian Sea (a deep depression in 1998 and a very severe cyclonic storm in 2001) led to a change in the wind pattern prior to the monsoon onset. Thus, Dr. Ramesh Kumar says that any convective system which forms over the South east Arabian Sea prior to monsoon onset does not help in the strengthening and deepening of the monsoon westerlies, necessary conditions for setting up of a monsoon onset over Kerala.
Winter hunger
Why do we feel hungry very frequently during winter? PRABHAT KUMAR New Delhi The main purpose of intake of food is to supply energy for physical needs. The body maintains a balance between energy expenditure and calorie intake which helps in proper maintenance of body weight. The food we eat is utilized by the body by a process called metabolism (the various chemical reactions occurring in the body's cells to break down food to give us energy and heat), and this works best at normal body temperature (37C). When the ambient temperature drops below certain value, the body generates heat by increasing its basal metabolic rate in order to keep up the body temperature. There are two ways by which this metabolic feat is achieved one, by increasing the breakdown of body's stored fat, and two, by providing the body more fuel to burn in the form of food. Alternately, you can consume more food to meet the increased metabolic demands of the body. A part of our brain, called hypothalamus, controls this automatic regulation. The hypothalamus functions as a thermostat, and it has two discrete centers for regulating the food intake a feeding centre' and a satiety centre', both of them together maintain a judicious balance of feeding behavior. The chief factors which influence these centres are the body weight, the amount of food present in the gut, the amount glucose in the blood and finally the body temperature. Thus in cold weather the feeding centre is stimulated so that food intake is increased. It is worth
noting here that warm weather decreases the appetite to some extent. However, ambient temperature is not a major player in regulating the food intake in human beings, whereas body weight plays a significant role. It is interesting to note that we lose appetite in fever, because raised temperature suppresses feeding center. DR. DHARANI KRISHNAGOPAL Civil Surgeon Specialist Area Hospital, Adoni Andhra Pradesh
are known in industry) once they are in solution to increase the ability to dissolve oils in water and then remove them from a system. The Bristol University team produced the magnetic soap by dissolving iron in a range of inert surfactant materials composed of chloride and bromide ions, very similar to those found in everyday mouthwash or fabric conditioner. The addition of the iron creates metallic centres within the soap particles, say the scientists led by Julian Eastoe. To test its properties, the team introduced a magnet to a test tube containing their new soap lying beneath a less dense organic solution, the Angewandte Chemie journal reported. When the magnet was introduced the iron-rich soap overcame both gravity and surface tension between the water and oil, to levitate through the organic solvent and reach the source of magnetic energy, proving its magnetic properties. Once the surfactant was developed and shown to be magnetic, the scientists took it to Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL), the world's flagship centre for neutron science, to investigate the science behind its remarkable property. When surfactants are added to water they are known to form tiny clumps (particles called micelles). At ILL, the scientists used a technique called small angle neutron scattering (SANS) to confirm that it was this clumping of the iron-rich surfactant that brought about its magnetic properties. The potential applications of magnetic surfactants are huge, say the scientists. From a commercial point of view, though these exact liquids aren't yet ready to appear in any household product, by proving that magnetic soaps can be developed, future work can reproduce the same phenomenon in more commercially viable liquids for a range of applications from water treatment to industrial cleaning products, Prof Eastoe said. PTI
At the end of the day, those clusters that had settled at the bottom were separated and transferred to a new test tube. After repeating the cycle for two weeks, the researchers could see yeast forming into snowflake-like clusters. Clusters do tend to form in nature by adhesion of cells. While cells in such clusters are genetically distinct, the clusters formed in the lab were found to be genetically identical. Genetically identical cells in a cluster could have formed only by division of mother cells into daughter cells. Proof of division The proof that the clusters were formed by the division of individual cells came through 16 hours of microscopic examination for growth. Cells taken from the clusters proved their hallmark characteristic each cell giving rise to a new snowflake-like cluster [cell]. Cells did not divide at random. While cells in the juvenile stage grew rapidly to multiple cells, and hence helped in increasing the size of the cluster, the fully-grown adult stage was marked by division of the matured cells into daughter cells. The presence of both juvenile and adult stages is a mark of true multicellularity. The fact that single-celled yeast sacrifices its ability to reproduce for the good of a collection of cells makes the transition very challenging. It goes against the grain of Darwinian principles. The scientists also investigated the most vital and crucial question that has been dogging science transition from unicellular to multicellular life. The most important difference between unicellular and multicellular life lies in the size of the daughter cells. While unicellular yeast divides into two daughter cells of similar size as the parent cell, the daughter cells of multicellular yeast were consistently half the size of their parental clusters [cells]. Division of labour Division of labour between individual cells another important characteristic of higher order organisms was seen in the yeast snowflakes. Such is the importance of this characteristic that higher-order organisms have clearly demarcated functions carried out by a specific set of cells. In fact, as the authors write, cellular differentiation is a hallmark of complex multicellularity. Apoptosis Similarly, apoptosis or programmed cell death (where old cells die after a point of time) was witnessed. Though apoptosis is seen even in single-celled yeast and other species, the end purpose of apoptosis witnessed in snowflakes was quite different. It was in response to selective pressure apoptotic cells breaking off from the snowflakes and allowing the rest of the flake to produce greater number of cells within a given time. Bigger clusters settle faster at the bottom and hence become eligible for repeated studies. For instance, apoptosis had evolved so quickly between selection 14 and 60 that the snowflakes at selection 60 were much bigger than that of at 14. This kind of apoptosis has never before been seen in unicellular yeast. All these characteristics seen in the snowflakes demonstrate that multicellular traits readily evolve as a consequence of among-group selection [selective pressure], the researchers write.
evolution, ecology and organismal biology at Ohio State and director of the laboratory. These male sparrows assess an opponent's fighting ability based on age. And for a mature sparrow, a young male is just not going to scare them, lead author Possel said. The researchers conducted the study in a migratory population of white-crowned sparrows that nested in a state park in Bandon, Oregon from 2008 to 2011. They have been studying this population since 2005. In this study, the scientists mapped out territories of 16 male white-crowned sparrows eight of which had held territories at the park in previous years (identified by bands placed on their legs in previous years) and eight second-year males that had never held a territory there before. Researchers placed a loudspeaker within the birds' territories and played recordings that suggested either a second-year bird or an older, mature bird had invaded their territory. Several measures determined how threatened the birds were by what they perceived as an incursion into their territories. If the male perceives the bird they hear as a greater threat, it will approach the loudspeaker more closely (to confront the rival), take more flights toward the speaker, and sing more songs. Results showed that older birds didn't react as strongly when they heard a recording of a second-year bird than they did to one of an older male. In other words, when they heard the second-year male, they didn't approach the loudspeaker as closely, they didn't fly to the speaker as many times, and they didn't sing as often in response. Other research suggests that younger male birds are less successful at attracting females than older males. That means older males see these young birds as little threat to them and not worth a lot of attention, Poesel said. The results appear online in the journal Biology Letters.