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The Man Who Taught India to Dream is No More
The inspiration of an entire generation, the brilliance that inspired millions with a message of hope and
excellence, is no more. The 11th President of India (20022007), Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam died on 27th July,
2015 at a hospital in Meghalaya, where he had gone to deliver a lecture on Livable Planet, at the IIM
Shillong. Dr Kalam reportedly collapsed on stage and was rushed to the Bethany hospital. Doctors said that
he suffered from a massive cardiac arrest.
Born on 15th October 1931, he was a man of hard work and highest integrity. As a student of physics, he
was later gripped with aerospace engineering. In a career that spans from scientific excellence to inspira-
tional hero, he was Indias icon. He was project director of India's first indigenous satellite launch vehicle.
Dr. Kalam was subsequently responsible for the evolution of ISRO's (India's equivalent of NASA) launch
vehicle program. He was the Scientific Adviser to Defense Minister of India and Secretary, Department of
Defense Research & Development. He also played a major role in the Pokhran-II tests. Rather,
scientifically, Dr. Kalam put India on the map. He headed Indias missile development efforts.
August, 2015
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In spite of his high intellect, Mr Kalam was soft-spoken, always pictured with a kind smile. He is known for
his work with students. His 79th birthday was recognized as "World Student's Day" by the United Nations.
According to a 2010 Readers Digest poll, he is one of the two most trusted men in India. One of India's most
accomplished scientists. Dr.Kalam was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1981, Padma Vibhushan in 1990 and
Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honor, in 1997. In 2013 hw got Wernher von Braun Memorial award
from the National Space Society.
On Key to a Livable Planet Earth, the joint statement of Dr. Kalam, and Mr. Mark Hopkins, Executive
Committee Chairman, National Space Society, dated June 1, 2013, says We, Dr. Kalam and Mr. Hop-
kins, have long shared humanity's dream of all nations living
together in prosperity and peace and moving forwards
through global collaboration in space to meet the challenges
that now face our Planet Earth. We are conscious that all na-
tions have to strive to make our planet livable again, after
centuries of devastation of its environment and ecosystems
and rapid depletion of its precious mineral resources, includ-
ing fossil fuels and fresh water. We will help accomplish this
through collaborative practices that are the true hallmark of
effective global cooperation for a livable planet Earth.
Kalam and Hopkins discuss joint statement at the 2013 International Space Development Conference (ISDC)
Till the last breath, his works were extensively on his vision for India, inspiring multitudes of youth.
We Salute his Soul which Ignited Our Minds!!!
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All India Coordinated Project for Special Research in Food Quality
Indian Council of Agricultural Research has sanctioned a new All India Coordinated project on home science
to Tamil Nadu Agricultural University to brace research in achieving the common goal of food and nutrition
security. The funding was to the tune of Rs 67 lakh per annum, which would facilitate scientists to work in
the area of Food and Nutrition and the project will be implemented from the current year at Home Science
College and Research Institute, Madurai, a constituent college of TNAU. Intensive research on value addition
of millets, development of functional foods and nutraceutical foods, foods to address micro nutrient deficien-
cy and lifestyle disorders with specific reference to food safety and quality would be taken up in this program.
Sustainability of food security is one of the important objectives that underlie the entire gamut of work of the
university and the core of food security is nutritional security--access to healthy food and optimal nutrition for
all. Though India has attained self-sufficiency in food production, about 30% perishables and 10% durables
are lost due to improper handling. TNAU has a mission to ensure food and nutrition security by minimizing
post-harvest losses and development of value added products through promotion of specific focused interven-
tions, research and advocacy. As one of its strategies, a new under graduate degree program on B.Sc (Food
Science and Nutrition) has been introduced from this academic year. This program has special emphasis on
food safety and quality control that are going to be key players in future food system and nutrition - sensitive
agriculture.
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Centre approves agriculture
University in Bihar
The Indian government today gave nod
for creation of a central agriculture uni-
versity in Samastipur with an outlay of Rs
295 crore. Besides, Cabinet gave 'in-
principle' approval for reviving the Bana-
na Research Centre at Goraul in Vaishali,
sources said. The decision was approved
by the Union Cabinet, days before Prime
Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the
state to launch four new schemes at the
87th foundation day of Indian Council of
Agricultural Research (ICAR) to be held
at Patna on July 25, they added.
According to the decision, the existing
state agriculture university at PUSA will
be converted into an international level
institution through strengthening of in-
frastructure, manpower and other provi-
sions. "The university will have six colleg-
es, seven research institutes and eleven
Krishi Vigyan Kendras to begin with, and
will be greatly strengthened with facilities
such as state-of -the-art laboratories," a
source said.
The university will also have modern
equipment, adequate teaching manpower
and necessary civil infrastructure and co-
pious operational provisions to perform
on-farm research and frontline extension,
sources said. The government is commit-
ted to the task of enhancing agriculture
production in eastern region, thereby im-
proving the economic condition of the
farmers of the region.
Scientists find potential new HIV therapy
Scientists have discovered a way to block replication of the most
common form of HIV at a key moment when the infection is just
starting to develop. Transmitted through bodily fluids, the HIV-1 vi-
rus infects and destroys key immune cells, known as CD4 T cells,
that would ordinarily mount a defense against the virus and initiate
the antiviral activity of other immune cells. Scientists have long
known that a substance produced by CD4 T cells called Interleukin-
21 (IL-21) plays an important role in the immune system by activat-
ing immune cells that specialise in killing viruses like HIV-1 and
driving the production of antibodies that attack them.
However, it was unclear how IL-21 might affect the early stages of
HIV-1 infection that allows the virus to grow and spread unabated
soon after a person is exposed. Researchers from Weill Cornell Med-
ical College, the Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University con-
ducted two studies to uncover this effect. The researchers created a
culture from human tissues, primarily spleen and lymph node tissue.
After exposing the cells to IL-21, they introduced HIV-1 and found
that after 72 hours, cultures with IL-21 contained more than two-
thirds less virus than those that didn't receive the treatment. The se-
cond model tested IL-21 in mice transplanted with human stem cells
to create a physiological environment as close as possible to that in
people. Over the course of two weeks, the mice began producing IL-
21. After 14 days, more than half of the mice with IL-21 did not dis-
play a detectable level of HIV-1. An analysis of the results suggested
that IL-21 not only jump starts the immune system but also stops the
HIV-1 virus from replicating during a critical, early window of its
development, when it is concentrated in one location and has not yet
started to spread throughout the body.
continued...
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James Cameron designs five huge flower-shaped solar arrays
James Cameron, the acclaimed film director, gave
his wife a bouquet of flowers, but not the normal
flowers you find at the local supermarket. It is a
flower garden consisting of five big photovoltaic
Sun Flowers that will generate electricity for Suzy
Amis Camerons sustainable school called MUSE
School.
My incredible husband really knows how to give a girl a bouquet of flowers, Suzy Amis-Cameron said dur-
ing the unveiling ceremony.
These solar bulbs are equipped with 24 solar panels, 14 petals on the outside and 10 panels in the middle
and move with the sun just like actual sunflowers do. According to inhabitots.com, this solar-powered garden
will offset the sites power usage by 75% to 90%.
James Cameron & his incredible team have just unveiled his new project which (in combination with the
powerwall) may very well have a tremendous impact on energy technology around the planet. When James
Cameron was working on Avatar several years back, it was a huge triumph that the energy used in making the
movie came entirely from solar power. James himself was an early adopter of solar technology, and has al-
ways been very interested in creating things for the benefit of mankind. Thus its only natural that him and his
team have now come out with a flower-shaped solar-power-plant that follows the sun, is open source, and is
hundreds of times more efficient than other panel technology.
Scientists find potential new HIV therapy
...continued
"This study highlights components of the human immune system that are capable of mounting an antiviral
response and driving intrinsic resistance to HIV-1," said senior author Dr Laurie H Glimcher, of Weill Cor-
nell Medical College. "We are hopeful that this knowledge will help bring us one step closer to shielding
patients from this deadly and complex virus," Glimcher said.
The reduction in viral load is due to the cascade of events initiated by IL-21. The investigators found that IL
-21 instructs CD4 T cells to increase the amount of a small RNA molecule. That molecule, microRNA-29
(miR-29), inhibits the replication of HIV-1, limiting the amount of virus produced from infected cells. "Our
study has uncovered a potentially potent arsenal that patients have against the virus. We think IL-21 is one
of those arsenals and that deploying it early will be very powerful in fighting the infection," said lead author
Dr Stanley Adoro, a postdoctoral associate in medicine in Glimcher's lab.
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How an IITian is helping villagers in India to produce electricity
Yogeshwar Kumar is helping villag-
ers build and operate their own mi-
cro-hydro-power plants. At a time
when the world is questioning the
construction of mega dams in the
earthquake-prone and ecologically
sensitive Himalayas, Yogeshwar
Kumar's micro-hydro projects have
the potential to do exactly that. In
the last three decades, Kumar, an
alumnus of Indian Institute of Tech-
nology Delhi, has engaged with ru-
ral communities to build over 15
micro-hydro plants.
Constructed by villagers-turned-barefoot-engineers, these projects are also operated and maintained by them.
Every mountain stream flowing down a gradient is capable of producing some power - and every village com-
munity has it in its hands to tap it. In my estimate, every third village in the Himalayas can harness nearby
streams and waterfalls to become self-sufficient in power," says Kumar.Inspiring as the idea may be, it is cer-
tainly not new.
The first mini hydroelectric
project in India commenced
back in 1897 in Darjeeling. But
what sets Kumar's initiative
apart is his emphasis on com-
munity involvement and the
use of electricity to power rural
livelihood projects. "The idea
is to enable rural communities
to become self-sufficient," he
says.
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"Although it was hard at the
outset to train the villagers,
who are mostly illiterate, in
power generation, the re-
sults have been great," says
Kumar.
Today, all the plants he has
set up in places as diverse as
Kargil (Ladakh), Agunda
and Budha Kedarnath
(Uttarakhand) and Kalahan-
di (Orissa) are being main-
tained by locals. Some of
these grassroots engineers are now training other villagers. So much so that when last year's cloudburst in Ut-
tarakhand damaged the Agunda project, the villagers ingeniously restored power temporarily by connecting
the plant to a newly created waterfall.
In the fortnight that followed, when the state grid remained switched off, villagers would trek 20 km to Agun-
da to recharge their mobile phones. The power generated doesn't only light up bulbs in rural homes, but can
also be used to set up myriad small-scale industries such as weaving, spinning, cold storages, milling of grains
and bakeries - especially as the electricity generated is not always used to its fullest capacity.
Story and Picture Courtesy: Rediff.com
Hello Kiddies, Here is your Answers!!!
1. Gold, Silver & Bronze
2. No
3. 0oC (32oF)
4. The Nile River
5. Cherry Tree
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India Eyes Venus !!!
Encouraged by their successful Mars Orbiter
Mission (MOM) and the recent launch of five
British satellites into space, the Indian Space Re-
search Organisation (ISRO ) mulls next possible
space exploration destinations. According to
ISRO Chairman Kiran Kumar, one of the con-
sidered missions would visit Earths sister
planet Venus.
Besides the second Mars mission, we are look-
ing at Venus and even an asteroid for explora-
tion. A project has to be formulated for this be-
fore we chart out a proper roadmap for the explorations. Photo Credit: ISRO
Venus is our neighbor and has many scientific challenges and aspects that need to be studied. Exploring an
asteroid is also challenging task, Kumar said. ISRO is planning to issue a 10-year road map for planetary ex-
ploration in which it will lay out the proposed missions. The ISRO has seen success with the PSLV rocket.
Right now discussions are going on for one more mission to Mars or Venus or we should look at asteroids.
There is a science team which is going through this discussion, Kumar said.
Venus, one of the four terrestrial planets in the inner Solar System is called Earths sister planet because of
their similar size, mass, proximity to the Sun and bulk composition. However, the two worlds could not be
more different. It is shrouded by an opaque layer of highly reflective clouds of sulfuric acid, preventing its
surface from being seen from space in visible light. It may have had oceans in the past, but these would have
vaporized as the temperature rose due to a runaway greenhouse effect.
So far, only Russia, the United States, and the European Space Agency (ESA) have successfully sent their
missions to Venus. In December 2015, Japan will try to insert its Akatsuki probe into the planets orbit. Their
first attempt in 2010 had failed. In September 2014, when MOM successfully entered into Martian orbit,
ISRO became the fourth space agency to reach Mars. However, India is the first country in the world to enter
the orbit of the Red Planet on the first attempt. ISRO is also considering sending another spacecraft to the
Moon Chandrayaan 2. Right now it is going through the realization phase. Work is going on, Kumar re-
vealed. Chandrayaan 1 was Indias first lunar probe. It was launched in October 2008 and operated until Au-
gust 2009. The mission included a lunar orbiter and an impactor. The missions greatest achievement was the
discovery of the widespread presence of water molecules in the lunar soil.
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U.S., India Seen Partnering for Deep Space Exploration, The unthinkable is already
happening in space
An Indo-U.S. deep space exploration mission is in the offing.
The unthinkable is already happening in space. India and America are together planning to explore the last
unknown frontier.Venus, Mars and an asteroid all could be the next big destinations that India will be ex-
ploring. The Indian Space Research Organization is now embarking on a new planet-hunting endeavor.
There are indications that the United States will be working with India in this "deep space exploration."
In the next few years another robust mission to planet Mars is being planned by ISRO. A possible fly-by to
an asteroid is likely. A small satellite aptly called Aditya will keep a constant eye on the ever-changing
moods of the Sun.
Speaking to students of the Indian Institute of Technology in Chennai, Richard Verma, ambassador of the
U.S. to India, recently sprung a surprise by saying, We look forward to path-breaking work between
NASA and ISRO on deep space exploration to Mars and beyond.
Till 2005, ISRO was a total pariah kept under full technology denial and sanctions were in full force but a
decade later the chill has gone and relations have thawed, now hand in hand both want to fly "where no
man has gone before."
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If Pluto was the target for the American space agency
through its mission New Horizons, the Indian space
agency is also setting its goals to explore the solar system
to its limits. On ISROs wish list a technology demonstra-
tion mission or a fly-by to the outer solar system.
The current ISRO chief, who played a key role in the suc-
cess of Mangalyaan says, for the next planetary mission,
we are looking at opportunities whether it is a repeat Mars
mission, or Venus mission or even an asteroid mission
revealed Kiran Kumar, Chairman, Indian Space Research
Organization.
Exploring Venus could be the next logical step as India
has already been to Mars. It is Earths neighbor and if
all goes well in a few years an Indian rocket will lift
off and head towards the inside of the Solar System. U. R. Rao, former chairperson of ISRO and head of the
committee that decides on scientific missions has long expressed a desire that India should ideally soon head
to Venus.
There are many things to be learned at Venus like trying to figure out why does the atmosphere of Venus
rotate in the opposite direction, said Kumar.
India has had hugely successful interplanetary missions, the most recent being Mangalyaan that reached the
Martian orbit in 2014 and continues to operate with vigor sending back scientific data to India.
Hey, You Know Me?
I am a Petri Dish !!!
A Petri Dish, alternatively known as a Petri Plate or cell-culture dish, named after the German bacteriologist Julius Richard Petri, is a shal-low cylindrical glass or plastic lidded dish that biologists use to culture cells, such as bacteria or small mosses. Modern Petri dishes usually feature rings and/or slots on their lids and bases so that when stacked, they are less prone to sliding off one anoth-er. While glass Petri dishes may be reused after sterilization, the plastic Petri dishes are often disposed of after ex-periments.
Think like a Proton & Stay Positive !!!
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India Working With 27 Countries on Earthquake Early-Warning System Taking a lead, India is working on an ambi-
tious project with scientists, geophysicists,
and seismologists of 27 countries to develop
an early-warning system for "prediction" of
earthquake.
The warning could be the issued some se-
conds before the earthquake strikes. India is
also planning to launch a satellite to track the
changes that take place on earth's surface be-
fore the tremors, a top official has said.
"If the effort is successful and the model is developed, we could reduce the number of human casualties
substantially. Before earthquakes, some chemical changes under the earth's surface and some physical dis-
placements on the surface occur and hoped if parameters are developed to observe, study and analyse these
changes, the quakes can be predicted. "For this purpose, India is going to launch a satellite by 2019 which
will send images of surface displacement up to the accuracy of few centimetres," Secretary, Ministry of
Earth Sciences, Shailesh Nayak said.
He was speaking at a summit on 'Combating Earthquake Disasters' in Kolkata. He added that "we are work-
ing on an ambitious project with scientists, geophysicists, and seismologists of 27 countries to develop an
early warning system for prediction of earthquake."
Nayak said in the coming years deep bore-wells filled with sensors and other equipment will be put in place
in all seismically-active regions in the country to sense the chemical and physical changes under the earth's
surface. India has been conducting experiments in the Koyna river valley in the Western Ghats in Maha-
rashtra. In India, 22 states are prone to earthquakes of various intensities like severe, high, moderate and
low, and urban explosion and densely populated cities with high-rise buildings makes the quake scenario
worse.
Sankar Kumar Nath, Professor, Geology and Geophysics, IIT Kharagpur, O P Mishra, senior scientist and
DDG (Seismology) India Meteorological Department, Ambarish Ghosh, Prof of Civil Engineering & Head,
School of Disaster Mitigation Engineering, Indian Institute of Engineering Science & Technology, Shibpur
and Lt Gen N C Marwah, Member, National Disaster Management Authority were among those who par-
ticipated in the conference.
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Events Sastra Prathibha Contest, 2016
Science International Forum (SIF) Kuwait announced January 14, 2016, Thursday, as the exam date for the prestigious Sastra Prathibha
Contest for the academic year 2015-2016.
Be not afraid of greatness. Some
are born great, some achieve
greatness, and others have great-
ness thrust upon them.
William Shakespeare
Discover
VOLUME 01
ISSUE 04 AUGUST, 2015
Compiled & Edited By
Prasanth Nair
Reshmy Krishnakumar
Science International Forum, Kuwait
facebook.com/sifkuwait For subscription mail to [email protected]
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