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ASTROSAT, India’s unique space

observatory The launch of Indian Space Research

Organisation’s (ISRO) ASTROSAT

telescope (September 28) will be a shot

in the arm for astronomers, particularly

those in India. This is the first time

India is launching a space observatory.

But that is not the only reason why the

ASTROSAT telescope is so special.

Unlike most other telescopes, the five

instruments (payloads) of ASTROSAT

can observe a wider variety of wavelengths — from visible light to the ultraviolet and X-ray bands. Even in

the X-ray band, it can study both low and high energy X-ray regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Most

other satellites are capable of observing only a narrow range of wavelength band.

“The capability to cover the full spectrum of wavelength simultaneously is the unique feature of

ASTROSAT,” said Dr. Mylswamy Annadurai, Director of ISRO Satellite Centre in Bengaluru.

“ASTROSAT is not the first of its kind but is the best so far. It is the best all rounder in the world. It

is a one-stop shop for studying astronomical sources,” said Dr. Varun Bhalerao, Post Doctoral Fellow at the

Pune-based Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA).

“Astronomical sources change in all time scales. So if I were to take data in optical light one day

and X-ray the next day from different telescopes, each day I will be seeing something different. So can’t

put the picture together. To understand all of that I must see the object in all different bands of light at the

same time. The ASTROSAT telescope will allow me to do this. That is its uniqueness,” said Dr. Bhalerao.

October, 2015

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India does have ground-based telescopes (including the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope near Pune and the

Indian Astronomical Observatory in Ladakh). But like all other ground-based telescopes, these can only detect

radio waves and infrared radiation as they penetrate the Earth’s atmosphere. However, in the case of higher

frequency radiations, the atmosphere tends to block most ultraviolet light and all X-rays and gamma-rays.

“The atmosphere blocks most UV light and all X-ray from the Sun. But for other stars which are very

far away, the intensity of UV light and X-ray is not much and the atmosphere completely blocks all UV light

and X-ray,” Dr. Bhalerao said.

Hence, a space-based observatory like ASTROSAT will be of immense value to researchers based in

India. “Ground-based telescopes and the space observatory will complement each other,” Dr. Bhalerao said.

Till date, Indian astronomers had to rely on international resources for X-ray and ultraviolet data. “Without a

space telescope of their own, Indian scientists have had to rely on ones operated by NASA and the European

Space Agency (ESA) to study such radiation bands, which carry information about exotic neutron stars, newly

born or exploding stars and the spiralling hot gases around black holes,” notes Nature.

But that is all set to change. “For the first time, we will be getting data from our own Indian X-ray and

ultraviolet telescope. That makes a lot of difference,” Dr. Bhalerao said. “We need not have to go to NASA

and other agencies. But we will continue to collaborate.”

It is for the first time that a majority of instruments (payloads) of the ASTROSAT had come from out-

side ISRO. “The combined mass of the payloads is more than the mass of the satellite,” said Dr. Annadurai.

“At 850 kg, the payload mass is more than 60 per cent of the mass of the satellite.”

Generally, the payload mass is less than 10 per cent of the mass of the satellite, like in the case of

Chandrayaan-1. It was less in the case of Mars Orbiter Mission Mangalyaan. “Because of the lower orbit, AS-

TROSAT can afford to have heavier payloads,” Dr. Annadurai explained. Though designed to orbit at 650 km

above the Earth for five years, there is great likelihood that like most other telescopes, ASTROSAT too would

last much longer.

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Tulsi Plant Genome Decoded

Indian scientists have deciphered the entire genetic make-up of Tulsi, a herb widely used for therapeutic

purposes. The genome map will help in making new medicines using the plant. A multi-institutional team led

by Sowdhamini Ramanathan from the National Centre of Biological Science, Bengaluru revisited the age-old

knowledge of the plant and its medicinal effects in their laboratories.

The plant synthesises a wide range of bioactive compounds, known for their anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-

pyretic and anti-cancer properties. These compounds are metabolites, compounds that are a by-product of

plant metabolism, typically used for plant self-defence. These metabolites are very poorly understood because

of lack of genomic information. Sowdhamini and team have produced the first draft genome of O. tenuiflorum

Krishna subtype, which is an important step in understanding and identifying the genes responsible for pro-

duction of metabolites with medicinal properties.

“The sequence reveals the interesting pathways used by Tulsi to make ursolic acid, a medically important

compound. If one could now use modern synthetic biology techniques to synthesise ursolic acid, it would be

of great benefit,” said S. Ramaswamy, one of the researchers. “This is the first report of draft genome

sequencing of a plant species from NCBS and we hope to do more,” added Sowdhamini.

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Indian Scientists should develop technologies to benefit common man-Dr Harsha Vardhan

Technology must be relevant to the

common man. This was the views

expressed by Dr. Harsha Vardhan,

who was speaking to media in

Bengaluru at the Raman Research

Institute on Friday. He urged the

Indian scientists to do research and

develop technologies that will cater

to the needs of the common man.

Researchers should try to fathom the

gap between cutting edge scientific

development and the common man.

Harsh Vardhan said that a mechanism must be evolved, which focused on time frames to achieve targets and

to develop driven industry technology. Time is an important factor in the commercialization of any invention.

The invention must reach the common man in shortest possible time. Harsh Vardhan feels that Indian

scientists must play the role of a facilitator or catalyst and create technologies that could help every citizen of

the country.

He said that he had great faith in the abilities of scientists and urged the federal government to release more

money for research and development. It is not for the first time a BJP minister is laying emphasis on the

development of technology. Earlier, he was speaking at the 12th International Symposium on Antarctic Earth

Science in Panaji and said that Indian scientist should become more creative, and the direction of research

must be such that it benefits the common man. He also said that there are 350 million people who are below

the poverty line, and scientists must develop technology to improve the living standards of these people.

The welfare of the common man must be uppermost while developing technologies. The gestation period for

any technology to reach the common man must be shortest. Harsh Vardhan said that summoning endowed

Indian scientists should join hands to develop laboratories that will focus its resources on developing specific

lines of inventions. A mechanism must be evolved which develops driven industry technology.

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Scientists discovered Alzheimer's dark secrets

In a major breakthrough, Indian scientists have managed to get a glimpse of the protein fragments known as

amyloid beta, which hallmark Alzheimer's disease.

"Everybody wants to make the key to solve Alzheimer's

Disease, but we don't know what the lock looks like. We now

have a glimpse of something which could be the lock. May be

it is still not the real thing, but as of now, this is our best bet,"

said research co-director Sudipta Maiti from the Tata Institute

of Fundamental Research (TIFR).

The possible lock looks like a bunch of amyloid beta

molecules in the shape of a hairpin, but with a twist, the researchers found. Knowing the shape and form of the

toxic molecule could lead to better ways of defeating it and evolving an effective therapy for Alzheimer's

disease that robs the old of their memory.

"This has been suspected earlier, but what we found was an unexpected twist in the structure, now becoming a

beta-hairpin -- very different from the typical hairpin structure people imagined," said Debanjan Bhowmik

from TIFR, the lead contributor of the study. "This may allow these bunch of amyloid beta molecules to form

toxic pores in the cell membranes," Bhowmik explained.

The joint team of researchers from TIFR, Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru and the University of

Toronto in Canada, cracked the problem that has eluded scientists for years, by using a modified version of

Raman Spectroscopy. A critical modification in the original Raman Spectroscopy technique allowed the meas-

urement of tiny signals that would otherwise have gone unnoticed. They encased silver nanoparticles in a fat

layer ("membrane") that mimicked the outer membranes of living cells.

"While the amyloid beta got fooled by it and stuck to the membrane, the silver inside enhanced the signal to a

measurable level and acted as a light beacon to reveal the peptide signature," study co-author Gilbert Walker

from University of Toronto pointed out. The findings were published in the journal ACS Nano.

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A Journey to Mars (Winning Story from Adults Category)

By: Krishnakumar S.P.

The heat was unbearable. The desert was slowly engulfing all of land. Our once beautiful plant was drying

up. There had been talks of explorations to find an alternate solution to escape the increasing heat. But

nothing conclusive came out of it. Rumors of the rich people disappearing in bunkers built below the red

ground was fast gaining prominence. This was creating a social unrest amongst the people trying to survive.

Some even talked of a new planet far away that had abundance of water and air for everyone to live happily

for thousands of years. But it now looked like a science fiction story.

I climbed the high mountains and stared at the sky. Would there be plants like ours out there? With

living people. With mountains and rivers like we use to have. So many electronic messages sent across the

universe for years have found no response. So many coded messages that have been found in the empty space

have made no sense. Time was running out. The number of dead has been increasing on a daily basis. The

rivers were fast disappearing; the people have lost hope.

As I searched the sky and the vast lands, the mirage in front of me reminded me of my childhood days.

The air was so fresh and the water so pure. The sounds were so much clearer. Today it’s all sand and the harsh

hot blowing winds that can be seen and heard. The believers wait with hope for the change. For the crusader

who will come to rescue our world. Others accept the fate and blame the generations that didn’t bother about

destroying nature. There was not much of the ozone layer left and the sun’s heat was fast heating up the

planet. The changes it brought have been terrible. Dangerous diseases have taken toll of half of humanity.

It was getting dark and I had to head for the settlement fast. The nights brought calm to the planet but

at the same time the eerie darkness was nauseating and dangerous for us. As I walked home, I heard a sound.

I was sure I heard someone move beyond that large rocks. The winds had died down and the sounds were

becoming clearer. For a moment I thought I saw a red flash. Cautiously I moved away from the rocks fearing

it may be one of the deformed animals stalking for food. The red light made me curious. What animal could

emit such light? Our energy sources had completely depleted and the little remaining was in hands of the

rulers and meant for preservation for the habitat. And then I saw the strange being move across the rocks. For

a moment it stood still and looked at me. As the winds completely died down, I could see it more clearly now.

It was strange and looked like a machine.

A strange red light emitted from its forehead and its legs looked like huge wheels. Its arms protruded

like some kind of drills and hooks. Both of us looked scared and amazed. The machine began moving slowly

towards me. I was not sure if I had to run. Or was this part of a government project?

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continued...

But where are the controllers and how come we weren’t told of such experiments outside the habitat? It slow-

ly rolled over towards me. It emitted a strange sound as though a coded message of sounds in long and short

syllables. And suddenly it stopped. All movement and sounds stopped. It arms where pulled to its side and all

the lights and sounds switched off. It was as though the machine went to sleep. I moved towards it. It looked

like some advance kind of machinery. Though we had built a few machines like this before the Heat Wave, I

had not seen one so advanced.It looked like the machine was searching for something. It had so many pistons

and arms with lot of storage space. It has strange markings over it and a language which I couldn’t under-

stand. I put my arms around it and tried to lift it. But it was too heavy and wouldn’t even move on pushing. It

was getting dark and I had to move faster to reach the habitat before shut down. I quickly made a survey of

the location where I had found the machine and ran as fast as I could to reach home.

My excitement knew no bounds and I spoke to council about my strange discovery. A team of

specialists were immediately listed and put on standby to move out first thing in the morning in search of the

machine. Was it proof that the rich people were indeed building an alternate city underground to save

themselves? Were they the ones that operate these strange machines? Or did our years of space research

finally find fruit and have people from other planets arrived? But how do they survive the climate outside?

Why did the machine shut down? It wouldn’t be affected by the heat and gases. We would have to wait for so

many answers.

As the first rays of the sun hit the land. The red planet woke up from its sleep. The machine switched

itself on and the Mars Rover Curiosity went about its job collecting data for mankind on Earth.

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Teen claims his search engine more accurate than Google

Anmol Tukrel, a 16-year-old Indian-origin

Canadian citizen, has designed a personalised

search engine which he claims is 47 percent more

accurate than Google. The young student designed

the search engine as part of a high school project

and also to submit to the Google Science Fair,

pressexaminer.com reported.

Tukrel came across the idea of a personalised

search engine during an internship stint in India at

Bengaluru-based adtech firm IceCream Labs. He

planned to take it Google’s personalised search

engine idea to the next level. He said that unlike most search engines that use a person’s location

or browsing history to throw relevant results, his engine tries to show the most relevant content

by mapping it to a user’s personality.

Tukrel’s search engine is currently restricted to one

year’s news articles that appeared in The New York

Times. His development kit included only a computer, a

python-language development environment, a spread-

sheet programme and access to Google and New York

Times.

To test the accuracy of his search engine, Tukrel limited

the search query to this year’s articles from the New

York Times.

Hey, You Know Me?

I am Fermentation !!!

Fermentation is a metabolic

process that converts sugar to ac-

ids, gases or alcohol. It occurs in

yeast and bacteria, but also in oxy-

gen-starved muscle cells, as in the

case of lactic acid fermentation.

Learn More in Coming Editions!

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9

Three Indians honored in US for their contribution in materials science and engineering

Three Indians and as many persons of Indian origin are among 29 people, who have been named as Fellows

this year by the American Society for Metals, for their contributions in the field of materials science and

engineering. The Indian Fellows are Pradeep Goyal, Vivekanand Kain, and Gankidi Madhusudhan Reddy,

while the Indian origin achievers are Pranesh Aswath, Suveen Mathaudhu, Muthukumarasamy

Sadayappan. The fellowship was created in 1969 to provide recognition to ASM members for their distin-

guished contributions to materials science and engineering, and to develop a broad based forum of tech-

nical and professional leaders to serve as advisers to the society.

Goyal is the chairman and managing director for Pradeep Metals Ltd. in Navi Mumbai. He was chosen for

his establishment of the internationally known “Industrial Microwave Research Center” in India, for his

success in environmental and energy improvements in ore and petrochemical processing industries using

new technologies, and for his work in steel production technologies and facilities. Aswath is a professor

and associate dean at the University of Texas at the Arlington. He was selected for his significant contribu-

tions to the science of tribology through establishing fundamental relationships between lubricant additive

chemistry, tribofilm formation and friction and wear, according to a statement from the organisation.

Mathaudhu is an assistant professor at UC Riverside and he was selected for his scientific leadership,

management, and advocacy of the US Army materials research efforts, and in particular for the develop-

ment and support of new advanced lightweight metals and bulk nanostructured materials. Kain, a professor

and scientist at Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in Mumbai was selected by the ASM for significant con-

tributions focused on understanding and controlling corrosion in nuclear power plants, especially the corro-

sion of stainless steel and nickel and zirconium based alloys.

Reddy, a scientist at the Defense Metallurgical Research Lab in Hyderabad was picked up for his outstand-

ing contributions in welding science and technology with special emphasis on the development of solutions

enabling the fabrication of critical components used in defence and aerospace applications. Sadayappan is

a research scientist at Canmet Materials, NRCAN in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. He was selected as a Fel-

low for his significant contributions to the field of non ferrous foundry metallurgy and solidification pro-

cessing.

The solicited guidance, which the Fellows will provide, will enhance the capability of ASM as a technical

community of materials science and engineering in the years ahead, the statement said. The fellows will be

presented with their awards for the recognition during the Materials Science and Technology 2015 event in

Columbus, Ohio, in October.

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10

New algorithm to prevent Cybercrimes

Indian researchers have developed a new keystroke algorithm that can use unique human typing patterns to

make online authentication processes more secure, reliable and cheap. The new method developed by

researchers at the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Jeppiaar Engineering College, Chen-

nai, hopes to alleviate some of the common issues for internet users including loss of password, growing

prowess of hackers, and easy access to methods such as phishing and usage of bots. Like fingerprint scans,

retina scans and facial recognition, keystroke dynamics are a biometric — they measure a unique human

characteristic. "As the typing pattern varies from person to person, this can be used as a suitable method for

the authentication process more effective than others," researchers J Visumathia and P Jesu Jayarin wrote

in the Journal of Applied Security Research.

"The information needed for the process is using the various software systems already present in the com-

puter, leading to a decrease in costs," researchers said.

The new keystroke template algorithm combines measures from existing models to increase precision. To

test their algorithm, the researchers built a programme that users could log into using passwords of varying

length. While entering their credentials, keystroke dynamics were recorded.

Results indicate that their algorithm was successful in decreasing login errors and making improper authen-

tication very unlikely, advancing keystroke dynamics analysis as a viable e-security measure. This method

is especially appealing for its relative ease of implementation, as the information needed to evaluate human

typing patterns is already present in computers, researchers said. The researchers call for additional testing

before the new algorithm can be used as a security measure.

"We concluded from the results presented that keystroke dynamics analysis holds big potential as an au-

thentication method, but the methods used in the process have to be improved before it can be used as an

independent security measure," researchers said.

— PTI Hello Kiddies, Here is your Answers!!!

1. The Pacific Ocean

2. Iron and nickel

3. The center of the earth

4. A geologist

5. Oxygen (21%)

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"Life isn’t about finding yourself.

It’s all about creating yourself.”

George Bernard Shaw

Discover

VOLUME 01

ISSUE 06 OCTOBER, 2015

Compiled & Edited By

Prasanth Nair

Reshmy Krishnakumar

Science International Forum, Kuwait

facebook.com/sifkuwait

For subscription mail to sifkwt@gmail.com

Corporate Partner :

Do You Know!!!

1. The Galilean moons orbit which planet?

2. Which is the hottest planet in the Solar System?

3. In terms of computing, what does CPU stand for?

4. Nano, Shuffle, Classic and Touch are variations of what?

5. Which science fiction writer wrote the three laws of robotics?

You have time till next edition