science & technology-april-2015

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SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY-APRIL-2015

The Hindu science & tech CurrentAffairs

Sun, Apr 5, 2015

Most H1N1 deaths occurred in high risk factor groups: Study

Vaccination a must for high risk patients having diabetes, chronic lung disorder or TB, and pregnant woman

About 65 per cent of persons who died due to swine flu this January and February, also had a high risk factor involved.

They all suffered from other chronic diseases including diabetes, TB and chronic lung disorder, a study has revealed.

research paper titled Profiling the Mortality due to Influenza A (H1N1) pdm09 at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Jaipur during the Current Season - January & February

2015 in the Journal of the Association of Physicians of India.

Of the 412 serious swine flu patients admitted to the SMS Hospital here, 76 succumbed to the H1N1 virus, of which 65 per cent were in the high risk category and suffering

from other chronic diseases like diabetes, lung disorder, or TB or were pregnant.

Research suggested that a rejig of the existing guidelines was needed to identify and treat influenza like illness at the national level.

Factors that promote its rapid progression - especially in a group without any predisposing risk condition - should form the focus of future studies.

As risk group individuals formed a major chunk of deaths, the need to vaccinate this group should form a scaffold on which future directions and interventions have to be built

up to combat the morbidity and mortality

science & tech CurrentAffairs Businessline

Sun, Apr 5, 2015

Large Hadron Collider restarts in hunt for dark matter

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the worlds biggest and most powerful particle accelerator, has been re-started after it was shut down for two years to receive an upgrade

that almost doubled its power.

The restart of the LHC is now under way, with protons making their way around its 27-kilometre tunnel for the first time since 2013.

Particle beams will soon travel in both directions, inside parallel pipes, just beneath the speed of light.

Actual collisions will not begin for at least another month, but they will take place with nearly double the energy the LHC reached during its first run.

The beams have arrived a week or so later than originally scheduled, due to a now-resolved electrical fault.

The protons are injected at a relatively low energy to begin with. However, engineers hope to gradually increase the beams energy to 13 trillion electronvolts, double what it was during the LHCs first operating run.

Scientists hope to glimpse a new physics beyond the Standard Model of particle physics.

The model describes 17 subatomic particles, including 12 building blocks of matter and 5 force carriers - the last of which, the Higgs boson, was detected by the LHC in 2012.

Things beyond the Standard Model have been proposed to explain several baffling properties of the universe, but never directly detected.

These include dark energy and dark matter. Dark energy is the all-pervading force suggested to account for the universe expanding faster and faster.

Dark matter is the web that holds all visible matter in place, and would explain why galaxies spin much faster than they should, based on what we can see.

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By taking matter to states we have never observed before, physicists hope to find something unexpected that addresses some of these questions.

Debris from the tiny but history-making smash-ups might contain new particles, or tell-tale gaps betraying the presence of dark matter or even hidden dimensions.

PIB science & tech CurrentAffairs

Sun, Apr 5, 2015

Dr Harsh Vardhan Urged National Aerospace Laboratories Scientists to work hard to

make the Prime Ministers Make in India programme.

Aerospace and Defence have been identified to be at the heart of Make in India

more than five decade experience of providing indigenous technologies to these strategic sectors, CSIR-NAL is uniquely poised to underpin Prime Minister Narendra Modis call to raise the percentage of domestic procurement from 40% to 70% in next five years.

Aerospace and Defence is globally, a very highly competitive area, defined by technology denial regimes and highly proprietary systems.

aerospace is an area marked by large investment and long gestation periods but nevertheless it is imperative to develop streams of innovation that provide significant long-

term payoffs in terms of import substitution as well as cutting-edge technologies.

it was this far-sightedness in supporting aerospace R&D with the establishment of CSIR-NAL in 1959 that resulted in its key technology successes for the strategic sector

like carbon fibre composite airframe components and Fly-by-wire Flight Control systems

for the Tejas light combat aircraft programme which were all denied under the technology

control regime.

CSIR-NALs efforts towards Indias space programme, the latest being acoustic qualification of subsystems for GSLV-D5 and the aerodynamic characterisation of the

LVM3 launcher.

the numerous spin-off products developed including Indias largest Autoclave for Airworthy Composite Processing, the first indigenous transmissometer (DHRISTI) for

measuring runway visibility, the first indigenous Electronic target (DHVANI) for

the Indian Army, Active noise control, smart materials and surface modification.

Such spinoffs demonstrated out-of-the-box thinking and were imperative for the Prime Ministers Make-in- India program.

CSIR-NAL technologies that have significant societal impact such as solar selective coating for industrial and domestic solar water heaters, coatings to enhance tool wear

resistance and windsolar hybrid wind turbine system to power off grid remote areas.

CSIR-NAL on its many laurels, the latest being the Best Laboratory Award 2014 from Brahmos Aerospace , for its breakthrough technology development and outstanding

contributions.


Fri, Apr 3, 2015

Can organic and GM crops co-exist?

Can organically cultivated crops and genetically modified crops co-exist especially, in

adjoining fields?

This has been an issue of debate for some years now.

The issue at hand is the potential of contamination of organic crop through pollen drift from non-organic or GM crop cultivated in proximity.

While companies selling genetically modified seeds claim that the technology is not in conflict with organic cultivation as the former helps reduce use of pesticides, those

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engaged in organic cultivation perceive GM technology as not purely organic.

GM crops still need integrated pest management and integrated nutrient management. There are issues with organic certification too.

The matter has come to a head in a court in Western Australia where owners of two neighbouring fields one cultivating organic oats and the other GM canola are fighting over cultivation rights and duty of care.

The organic farmer has lost his certification because his neighbour planted modified canola. Commercial cultivation of GM canola was permitted by the Australian

government sometime in 2009- 2010.

The outcome of the legal dispute is keenly awaited.

The court is likely to rule on the relative rights and obligations of neighbouring farms.

The outcome may also potentially force amendments to the organic certification process.

Clearly, the issue is not about desirability or otherwise of GM crops and their contribution to the market; but whether organic and non-organic cultivation can harmoniously co-

exist.

It may be a coincidence that the legal dispute in faraway Australia has come up at a time when the Indian Government has permitted field trials of GM crops, subject to State

governments approval. Maharashtra, for instance, has decided to allow firms to undertake field trials of select crops.

Given that landholdings in India are rather small over 80 per cent of farmers own less than two acres the issue of co-existence of GM and non-GM crops assumes greater importance. Currently, Bt Cotton is the only GM crop commercialised.

Over the last several years, area under modified cotton cultivation has expanded and currently stands at nearly 90 per cent of the total area under cotton (11-12 million

hectares).


Thu, Apr 2, 2015

NASAs Curiosity rover spots mineral veins on Mars

NASAs Curiosity rover has found mineral veins at a site on Mars, offering clues about multiple episodes of fluid movement in the area.

The mineral veins were found at the site called Garden City on the slopes of a 5-km-high mountain known as Mount Sharp.

They appear as a network of ridges left standing above the now eroded-away bedrock in which they formed.

Individual ridges range up to about 2.5 inches high and half that in width, and they bear both bright and dark material.

Some of them look like ice-cream sandwiches: dark on both edges and white in the middle, said Linda Kah, a Curiosity science-team member at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

These materials tell us about secondary fluids that were transported through the region after the host rock formed,

Veins such as these form where fluids move through cracked rock and deposit minerals in the fractures, often affecting the chemistry of the rock surrounding the fractures.

Curiosity has found bright veins composed of calcium sulfate at several previous locations. The dark material preserved here presents an opportunity to learn more.

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Mud that formed lake-bed mudstones Curiosity examined near its 2012 landing site and after reaching Mount Sharp must have dried and hardened before the fractures formed.

The dark material that lines the fracture walls reflects an earlier episode of fluid flow than the white, calcium-sulfate-rich veins do, although both flows occurred after the cracks

formed.

Garden City is about 39 feet higher than the bottom edge of the Pahrump Hills outcrop of the bedrock forming the basal layer of Mount Sharp, at the centre of Mars Gale Crater.

The Curiosity mission spent about six months examining the first 33 feet of elevation at Pahrump Hills, climbing from the lower edge to higher sections three times to vertically

profile the rock structures and chemistry, and to select the best targets for drilling.

The first, Confidence Hills, had the most clay minerals and hematite, both of which commonly form under wet conditions.

The second, Mojave, had the most jarosite, an oxidised mineral containing iron and sulfur that form in acidic conditions.

The third is Telegraph Peak.


Wed, Apr 1, 2015

Eliminate this deadly livestock disease

Ruminant plague wipes out unvaccinated cattle in alarmingly quick time, driving farmers to penury

It is extraordinary when a disease is eradicated from the face of the earth, as great a human accomplishment as inventing the internet or putting a man on the moon.

Two serious ones have already been wiped out smallpox, a scourge of human history, and rinderpest, a chronic killer of cattle and instigator of famine.

The disease we propose be made the third target for elimination is often deadly to sheep and goats but also devastating to the livelihoods of hundreds of millions of smallholder

farmers who rely on them for meat, milk and other products.

Called by its French name peste des petits ruminants (PPR), which means small ruminant plague, the disease can wipe out entire unvaccinated flocks in a matter of days.

PPR is an ideal candidate for total eradication as there is only one virus strain for which an effective vaccine exists.

That is why the organisations we lead are jointly launching and leading a 15-year campaign to eradicate the disease, involving regions and countries.

By 2030 the world should be free of PPR.

Why target PPR?

Since it was first identified in 1942 in Cote dIvoire, the disease has spread throughout Africa, West Asia, Central and South Asia and most recently has swept across China.

As a result today PPR is present in more than 70 countries.

If no action is taken , the disease is expected to spread further into southern Africa, Southeast Asia, and Mongolia. Most countries in the Mediterranean basin are also at risk.

PPR does not affect human health directly, but it seriously jeopardises the livelihoods of millions of poor smallholders.

When their flocks die, farmers and their families in rural areas are pushed deeper into poverty, increasing their levels of malnutrition.

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Eradicating the rinderpest plague in cattle showed that with political will, economic commitment and the full involvement of veterinary services including practitioners, local

shepherds, pastoralists, and farmers, countries can eradicate a disease completely.

Better veterinary care One key component of the strategy is the strengthening of veterinary systems; they contribute directly to human health and food safety, the

protection of such threats from animals such as rabies, brucellosis, Ebola, or

antimicrobial resistant organisms that may have environmental or animal origin.

Consumer confidence relies on the veterinary systems of regulatory inspection and assurances of compliance.

There are around 500 million family farmers in developing countries and a high percentage of them depends on small ruminants for food such as meat, milk and other

products for income generation.

Eradication makes economic sense as it will permanently eliminate the negative socio-economic impacts of the disease and result in estimated savings of almost $2 billion a

year.

This means the entire investment in this initiative is expected to be recovered within a few years following PPR eradication.

Sheep and goats are famously hardy and can survive dry and rocky environments in which cattle or other livestock would perish.

They are less expensive than cattle and have a higher reproduction rate.

Women and children make up the majority of those caring for and raising small ruminants.

Many people would benefit by the end of PPR: farmers and pastoralists, traders, retailers, transporters and those who slaughter animals, dress carcasses and cure skins, retailers.

Consumers would benefit, too, both in terms of access to food and nutrition.

The global campaign to eradicate PPR will be launched officially at a conference from March 31 to April 2 in Abidjan, jointly organised by FAO and OIE with the government of

the Republic of Cte dIvoire.

The Hindu science & tech Current Affairs

Wed, Apr 15, 2015

Blow for Net neutrality

online retailer Flipkart pulling out of Airtel Zero, the controversial plan offered by Indias leading telecom provider Bharti Airtel to provide its subscribers free access to select websites.

Flipkart had to contain the fallout after Airtel Zero was severely criticised by the proponents of Net neutrality, the principle that all Internet traffic has to be treated equally.

The e-retailer faced a severe backlash on social media over its decision to join Airtel, and even had its app down-rated on app stores by die-hard Net neutrality advocates.

For all the pro-Net neutrality utterances it makes now ironically, Airtel also does so what is still a surprise is what made it join the platform in the first place.

Flipkart did so disregarding the wave of support for Net neutrality that has been sweeping across India following the recent publication of a consultation paper on it by the

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India.

Politicians, celebrities and the common person alike have joined the cause.

Facebook introduced internet.org a few months ago to subscribers of Reliance Communications.

Airtel Zero and internet.org are very similar schemes.

Airtel would know; it is Facebooks partner in Africa.

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The only difference is in positioning. Internet.org is presented as an attempt to make the Internet available to those who dont have access to it.

But the actors in internet.org are all commercial enterprises, as they are in Airtel Zero.

The list includes Facebook, Reliance Communications, and many of the nearly three dozen Indian content and news sites, some of which have been vocal in their support for Net

neutrality.

Such free plans, also called zero-rating plans wherein the subscriber gets access to select sites, are deemed to be against Net neutrality and banned in countries such as Chile.

Whatever made it join Airtel Zero in the first place, Flipkart is now making the right redemption noises, leaving Airtel in the lurch.

The dramatic pullback has given supporters of Net neutrality more ammunition, much more than would have been the case had Flipkart not decided to join Airtel Zero in the first place.


Wed, Apr 15, 2015

Genetically engineered bacteria can treat cancer

Genetically modified Salmonella bacteria that causes severe food poisoning can be used to kill cancer cells.

There has long been interest in using genetically engineered microbes to target and destroy cells within solid tumours,

certain strains of bacteria, including Salmonella enterica, can kill cancer cells.

Specifically Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium has been shown to not only colonise solid tumours, but also to exhibit an intrinsic anti-tumour effect.

in order to use Salmonella as a weapon against cancer in humans, researchers must find a balance between allowing it to kill the cancer and be safe for the patient.

The bacteria, commonly known for causing severe food poisoning, can lead to sepsis and death in humans.

In the study, the researchers focused on modifying the lipopolysaccharide structure (LPS) of the Salmonella strain to make the bug less toxic.

LPS, found in the outer membrane of bacteria, is one of the major inducers of sepsis, a life-threatening infection.

Researchers used genetic engineering to delete genes involved in the synthesis of the LPS, and then tested various modified Salmonella strains to see how they performed in test tube studies

with human cancer cells and in tumour bearing mice.

They identified a particular mutant strain that was the most effective at killing cancer cells and shrinking tumours, and also unable to cause disease.

However, this mutant strain was less able to colonise the tumours, although being most effective in killing tumour cells when getting there.

To address this problem, the researchers then added another genetic modification, an inducible arabinose promoter.

The modification allowed the Salmonella to be injected in the mouse in a form that would not harm normal, healthy cells, was effective at colonising tumours, and after entering cancer cells,

would turn toxic.

This transition from benign, invasive Salmonella that doesnt hurt normal cells to the toxic type occurs very rapidly in the tumour due to the very rapid growth and cell division that

occurs when Salmonella enters a tumour, he said.

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In a normal cell, Salmonella grows very slowly, dividing once or twice in a 24-hour period, but in a tumour, the bacteria divide every hour.


Wed, Apr 15, 2015

Rosetta mission: comet 67P may not be magnetised

The strength of the magnetic fields measured did not increase systematically as the point of observation moved closer to the comets nucleus.

Researchers of the Rosetta Mission have made a sensational discovery the comet 67P/Churyumov- Gerasimenko may not have a magnetic field.

This discovery is important because it calls into question some of the theories of formation of structures, such as our solar system, in which magnetic field is crucial to the formation of

clumps of matter which later grew to become large celestial bodies.

When the Rosetta mission arrived at its destination, floating in sync with the comet 67P, it dropped a lander, Philae, which contained instruments for measuring various parameters on the

comet, including its magnetic field.

Philae was supposed to anchor itself, by means of some harpoons, to the surface of the comet on landing.

However, this mechanism failed, and it bounced off the surface a couple of times to land some distance away, following a complex path.

This turned out to be scientifically beneficial to the scientists who were looking at the magnetometer measurements from Philae and from the Rosetta spacecraft.

They could collect precise magnetic field measurements at the four points where Philae made contact and at a range of heights.

The strength of the magnetic fields measured did not increase systematically as the point of observation moved closer to the comets nucleus.

This rules out the possibility that the nucleus of the comet carries any magnetism.

Instead, the observed value is consistent with there being an external source of magnetism, namely the solar wind and interplanetary magnetic field near the comet nucleus.

These findings of Philae were complemented by measurements made by Rosetta at the same time, thereby adding weight to the conclusions.


Wed, Apr 15, 2015

Chandrayaan-2 launch slated to take place in 2017-18: ISRO Chief

India's second lunar exploration mission - Chandrayaan - 2 is targeted to be launched by 2017-18 with complete indigenisation,

"With changes in the planned configuration for Chandrayaan-2, where originally the lander was supposed to come from Russia.

So it will be completely indigenous system

"For the launch of Chandrayaan-2 the target is sometime in 2017-18," that meanwhile India will see about seven space launches.

Of the seven launches, one has already been done last month in March.

"Apart from that we are now getting ready for DMC- Disaster Monitoring Constellation satellite for Surrey Space Technology, followed by GSLV Mk-2 which is going to be launched,"

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ISRO has also lined launch of IRNSS (Indian Regional Navigate Satellite System) 1E and 1F.

"On March, 28 launched the fourth IRNSS.

completed all the in-orbit tests that the satellite has actually gone into the right place.

"Once you have the four navigation satellites, you can independently determine your physical position on ground.

Latitude, longitude and height using a receiver signal,"

Another in the line is the Astrosat to be launched in 2015 with a multi-wavelength telescope system which will be carried on a single platform.

This will be unique observation systems to look at celestial objects thereby encouraging students to take unique observations from sky.

With the new satellite, students can decide what celestial object they want to look at. Astrosat will carry multi-frequency telescope systems on a platform.

GSAT-15 will be launched this year. "The remaining six are from our own PSLV and GSLV Mk-2."

"Also we will have Reusable Launch Vehicle-Technology Demonstration Program or RLV-TD's first version or first trial of hypersonic experiment during this year,".

ISRO was focusing more on the critical technologies and will continue to capitalise on the technology spin-offs. Presently, ISRO is working on composite material, artificial limbs,

mentioned the chairman.


Tue, Apr 14, 2015

Clamour for Net neutrality grows online

Social media has been flooded with posts on Net neutrality, demanding that service providers treat all data online equally and not discriminate or charge differently based on user,

content, site, platform, or application.

While the debate has been going on at the global level for a long time, in India it was triggered when the countrys largest operator Airtel in December announced plans to start charging customers for VoIP services, such as Skype and Viber.

The debate gained national momentum when telecom regulator TRAI came out with a consultation paper inviting user comments on the subject. In reply to this, over 1 lakh

emails were sent to the authority through the website savetheinternet.in.

People from all sections of society, including politicians, corporate leaders and actors, have come out in support of the campaign.

Topics such as #SavetheInternet, #Netneutrality have been trending on social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook.

The government has formed a six-member committee comprising Telecom Ministry officials to examine the issue.

Internet was one of the finest creations of the human mind and it was the property of the entire human race and not of any country or society.

Internet to become entirely global should have a link to local and when we talk of digital inclusion it must be available to the underprivileged and [those] on the margins,

Airtel recently announced another initiative, Airtel Zero, an open marketing platform that allows customers to access a variety of mobile applications for free, with the data charges being

paid by startups and large companies.

This too is considered to be against Net neutrality.

Countries like Chile, the Netherlands and Brazil have already adopted Net neutrality.

Even the U.S. Federal Communications Commission has backed Net neutrality, saying the Internet should be treated as a public utility.

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Tue, Apr 14, 2015

Privileging telcos over netizens

The sort of closed Internet that TRAI is proposing, in defiance of the principle of net neutrality, is no longer on the discussion agenda in any country

With the fight for net neutrality reaching a fever pitch, the Competition Commission is examining whether Indian telecom operators are violating the principle. Unfortunately, the

Telecom Regulatory Authority of Indias (TRAI) Consultation Paper on Regulatory Framework for Over-the-Top (OTT) Services appears to propose only two choices: that we either accept

licensing of Internet services or compromise on net neutrality.

If TRAIs claims are accepted, any business that uses the Internet e-retail, media or health care can potentially be regulated by TRAI as an OTT service. This is indeed regulatory overreach on a grand scale.

Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are licensed to provide data services.

They transmit data packets generated by the users or, more precisely, by the users computers.

What is in the packets is treated as content video, audio, text or pure data and is generally not subject to telecom regulations.

That is why we do not need a licence to create a website, provide a service through the Internet, or an app for use on computers, tablets or mobile phones. These are not telecom services but

content.

This could change if TRAIs definition of OTT services is accepted. By defining any application or service that uses the Internet as an OTT, it becomes subject to TRAI regulation.

The issue is not whether TRAI would ask for licensing all websites or applications. It may restrict licensing to only a few existing services.

For example, it may argue that only Skype (not Voice over Internet Protocol) and WhatsApp (messaging service using the Internet) need licensing. The problem is that any website that offers

real time chat or conferencing is no different from Skype or WhatsApp.

For an open Internet The definition of the Internet as a bunch of OTT services that may need licensing has the potential of creating a closed Internet.

The Internet has grown due to its open character, and what is called permission-less innovation.

Anybody can connect to the Internet and offer an application or a service, or provide a website containing blogs and other content.

TRAI states: Telecom service providers offering fixed and mobile telephony are currently being overwhelmed by online content, known as over-the-top applications and services.

If the rapid growth of data traffic is indeed overwhelming the telecom network, it could be for two completely different reasons.

One is that telecom operators, despite making enough money, are not investing in upgrading their infrastructure. This calls for the regulator to crack its regulatory whip on the operators.

The second reason is that the growth of data traffic is not generating adequate revenue for the telecom operators. If this is so, we should ask why the rates for data services are low

considering TRAI has allowed the operators to set their own rates.

The telecom operators lobby has not offered any evidence that data services do not generate enough revenue; instead figures show revenues growing at a dizzying pace.

In fact, when telecom companies want to raise money from investors, they present a rosy picture of a booming data business and rising revenues. Companies that prepare reports for

investors such as Morgan Stanley or PricewaterhouseCoopers say much the same things.

even voice and SMS traffic in India is growing.

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The recent high auction price of spectrum shows that the telecom sector has enough revenues.

If they claim their revenue is too low to build infrastructure, the claim can easily be shown up as false. Hence, the argument on how much OTT vendors earn and why a part of it should go

to telcos.

The most cited case, Skype versus voice calls, uses fictitious figures of losses. Telecom companies calculate losses by converting Skype call time to equivalent voice call value, as if all

people who use Skype now would actually make voice calls if Skype were not there.

TRAI has partially bought into this argument by calling Skype voice calls revenue foregone. TRAI also states (P: 19): This phenomenon, namely, the growth of OTT apps providing voice services has started to impact revenues of TSPs from voice services, which constitutes a major

portion of their revenues. This, again, is an assertion for which no data has been provided. Yes, some drop has taken place in international calling.

But has it not been more than compensated by an increase in revenues from data services and growing local calls?

Comparing SMSs on voice networks to equivalent services such as WhatsApp is also misleading. Mobile services were originally designated as value-added services, while voice on landline was

considered a basic service.

When mobile services were merged into basic services, SMS also came in. The reality is that telecom companies offer SMS, essentially a data service, at a very high price.

This penalises the lower-end users, who use basic 2G services; not high-end users who have migrated to voice and data services and can use applications such as WhatsApp.

The issue is whether telecom companies can discriminate between packets based on private agreements with specific Internet vendors. Simply speaking, the principle of net neutrality

demands that telecom service providers should not discriminate between data packets

based on source, ownership or content.

The principle is essential to maintain a level playing field on the Internet by ensuring all content is equally accessible to the public.

Expanding the network If net neutrality is violated, telecom operators would have a perverse incentive to not expand their infrastructure or bandwidth.

Once bandwidth is choked, bigger Internet players will be willing to pay network operators to speed up their packets.

Net neutrality regulation, thus, provides an incentive to expand the network to relieve congestion, rather than constrain the bandwidth for earning monopoly profits.

This was recognised most recently in the American Federal Communication Commissions decision to classify Internet services as a public utility.

There are many ways in which TRAI can address the issue of monopoly, the regulatory concern that it claims to be addressing.

It could regulate monopolies directly, or refer such issues to the Competition Commission.

It can also regulate the interconnection rates between external networks that connect to Indian networks.

All Internet companies such as Google and Facebook use their home networks to connect to Indian consumers, with servers located in their home jurisdiction. Higher delivery charges

would help create extra revenue for the Indian network operator.

Among regulators in India, TRAI has functioned relatively well. Though it failed to stop the 2G scam, it did, at least, caution against it.

But the TRAI document in question is almost entirely based on the submissions of telecom players. Indeed, the paper reads as if it has been drafted by the telecom companies, for the

telecom companies, to meet their greed-dictated needs.

The TRAI has sullied its relatively clean record with this shoddy document.

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Why cast the net?

The internet is too important to be hijacked by telecom operators.

When the Digital India programme was announced in July last year,

the transformational potential of the internet for governance and the government-citizen relationship.

this vision needed specific policy action. This includes an internet that is easily accessible, affordable and free from intrusive government control.

It seemed almost self-evident that the next steps taken by the government would be to create an enabling policy framework for Digital India.

This would include allowing the internet to grow without fetters or discrimination in access a position referred to as net neutrality.

Trai, however, decided to throw up some surprises. Its recently released 118-page consultation report on Regulatory Framework for Over The Top services (OTTs) takes a highly dubious pro-telecom operator position.

It not only assumes the need for a regulatory framework, but also seems to advocate,that telecom companies should be permitted to differentially price services (that they consider as

utilising bulk bandwidth), or slow down access, through various discriminatory practices.

Equal treatment? The internet is a network where all information and services are transmitted as data packets that are identical in structure and cost. In other words, all data packets used by

consumers are treated equally by Telecom Service Providers (TSPs).

The companies proposing these discriminatory pricing are the existing big players namely telecom companies, who would like to continue to be gatekeepers to the net and profit by doing

so, and some internet apps that would like to ensure that competition from new startup

technologies is blocked.

A few companies would like to control consumer choice. Consumers will either have to pay additional, separate charges for each type of service, or will only be able to access certain

content at significantly lower speeds.

The report has several passages that betray the regulators disregard for objectivity. For instance, there is a section that provides a detailed tabulation of the adverse impacts of the proliferation of OTTs such as Skype on telecom operator revenues.

This is notwithstanding much data readily available in the public domain confirming that telecom operators continue to earn healthy profits; besides, there is an alternative argument that

telecom operators actually benefit from the growth of OTTs. No regulator has the right to

prevent consumers from accessing innovation and choice because of adverse impacts of this disruptive technology on an existing set of companies.

Choice matters Trai, therefore, seems to be completely oblivious to the adverse impact of that regulating OTTs will have on consumers, or on internet-based startups. Worryingly,

Trai defines the major challenge by blatantly stating, In a non-level playing field, how can such OTT app providers be brought within the ambit of the prevailing regulatory regime of the

country to ensure public safety and security of users? An undiscerning reader would be near convinced that telecom operators are victim to OTT malpractice.

The growth of OTT services is simply a manifestation of the tremendous opportunity for innovation provided by the internet. Businesses such as Flipkart, Alibaba and Snapdeal are all

successes supported by a neutral internet.

These services have widened consumer choice. Disruptive technologies are a norm in the telecommunications sector this should not be the reason to deny consumers of choice. Our digital policy ecosystem must encourage telecom operators, among others, to innovate.

Bandwidth and speed are the only means by which TSPs should be allowed to create new pricing models. Content should not fall under their purview.

a free, open and accessible internet is crucial to innovation, connectivity and economic growth.

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Net neutrality lies at the core of how consumers are able to access the internet and is therefore crucial to the success of Digital India. There should be no conditions placed on

consumers for using OTT services, and absolutely no restrictions on the internet. The internet is

too important to let a few private telecom players decide what the rules will be for consumers!

Down to Earth science & tech CurrentAffairs

Tue, Apr 14, 2015

Why do we need patents?

There is no empirical evidence that patents serve to increase innovation and productivity

As we enjoy great advantages from the inventions of others, we should be glad of an opportunity to serve others by any invention of ours; and this we should do freely and generously.

So wrote Benjamin Franklin, Americas founding father and man of many parts, in his autobiography explaining why he had refused a patent for a more efficient open stove he had

invented in 1742.

It did not matter to Franklin that a London ironmonger, using his documents, tweaked the machine, got a patent and made a small fortune out of it. It was not the only time others had

benefited from this polymaths inventions. Franklin never contested these, having no desire of profiting by patents, and hating disputes.

This is not the case with most inventors, especially in the US which has made a fetish of patents. Thomas Edison, for instance, had over 1,000 US patents. But there have been others who have

given freely of their ideas and inventions.

Like Tim Berners-Lee who invented the World Wide Web. Like Jonas Salk, who discovered the polio vaccine and is famously reported to have said when asked who owned the patent: Well, the people, I would say. There is no patent. Could you patent the sun?

Well, a rather churlish biotech industry claims its a patent myth surrounding Salk; the vaccine simply could not be patented because of the way research on it was funded.

Whatever the truth, a little later, Albert Sabin came up with an oral vaccine for polio, which some aver is more effective, but he, too, did not seek a patent.

Unlike the US, Europe was not fanatical about patents in the previous centuries. In fact, there was a strong campaign to abolish patents and this was effective in getting quite a few European

states, such as Holland, to dismantle their patent systems.

Switzerlands laws excluded patents for chemicals, pharmaceuticals and dyes till the early years of the 20th century. This is said to be the genesis for Switzerlands modern and innovative pharma industry. Influenced by the abolitionists, the Congress of German Economists

warned that patents of invention are injurious to common welfare. Patents then tended to be viewed as anti-competitive and a covert form of trade protectionism.

The dominant voice is that of the pharma lobbies who insist it is vital to provide incentives for research and reward those who come up with life-saving or life enhancing drugs.

We all need to hark back to history to understand there are alternative ways of discovering and inventing medicines as the story of penicillin and polio vaccine show. Patents and

copyrights are not the optimum solution.

Far from being a solution it has turned into a curse for the software and telecom industries who have been sucked into a morass of costly litigation and stultified research on account of patent

thickets on basic research.

These industries are screaming for a reform of the global patent system, particularly in the US.

But its a system so broken and messed up that the US Congress has been unable to set it right despite many tries over the past decade.

Economists point out there is no empirical evidence that patents serve to increase innovation and productivity, unless, of course, productivity is equated with the number of patents awarded.

One paper titled The Case against Patents says the US economy has neither seen a dramatic acceleration in the rate of technological progress, nor a major increase in R&D expenditure.

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Tue, Apr 14, 2015

Sale of antimicrobials for food animals on a rise in US: FDA

USFDA data on the sale and distribution of medically important antimicrobials for food-producing animals shows an increase of 20 per cent from 2009 to 2013

Medically important antimicrobials contributed to over 60 per cent of all antimicrobials sold and distributed for food-producing animals in 2013.

The report which was released on April 10, 2015 also gives us insights into the extent of antimicrobial use in the feed of food-producing animals in the US.

Nearly three-fourth of all the medically important antimicrobials that was sold and distributed in the US for food animals in 2013 was routed through feed.

It also is to be noted that the consumption of antimicrobials via feed is a non-therapeutic use of antimicrobials and aims at increased efficiency of feed or to facilitate increase in weight

gain in food- producing animals.

Non-therapeutic use of antimicrobials also includes the use of antimicrobials in water for disease prevention and mass disease control.

The indiscriminate use of antimicrobials is recognised as one of the contributors to the development of resistant bacteria, thus leading to the problem of antimicrobial resistance

which is a growing public health-concern across the world.

News reports suggest that civil organisations have criticised the indiscriminate use of antibiotics and have called for more action, saying such use of antibiotics aids the

development of antibiotic resistance.

the practice of giving routine doses of antibiotics to animals is akin to giving antibiotics to your kids before they head off to day care when what they really should be doing is washing their

hands.

India does not have data on antibiotic use. We should also make the reporting of antibiotics produced by companies mandatory. Such data will be very useful in addressing the issue of

antimicrobial resistance.


Mon, Apr 13, 2015

Caesarian sections should be performed only on case-by-case basis, says WHO

Indian states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh record very high rates of caesarian sections.

With rates of caesarean sections increasing the world over, the World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a statement discouraging the practice of aiming for target rates for such deliveries.

WHO says caesarean sections must be performed only when medically necessarywhen vaginal delivery might pose a risk to the mother or baby due to prolonged labour, foetal

distress, or because the baby is presenting in an abnormal position.

However, caesarean sections can cause significant complications, disability or death, particularly in settings that lack the facilities to conduct safe surgeries or treat potential

complications, the statement says.

The international accepted standard is between 10 and 15 per cent for caesareans. WHO says that while caesarean section rates of up to 10 per cent show a decrease in the number of maternal and

newborn deaths, there is no evidence that mortality rates improve when rates exceed 10 per cent.

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These conclusions highlight the value of caesarean section in saving the lives of mothers and newborns,.

There is still a need for more research on the impact of caesarean sections on womens psychological and social well-being. Caesarean sections, due to their increased cost, can pull

resources away from other services in overloaded and weak health systems if performed at

high rates unnecessarily.

WHO proposes adopting the Robson classification as an internationally applicable caesarean section classification system.

The Robson system classifies all women admitted for delivery into one of 10 groups based on characteristics that are easily identifiable, such as number of previous pregnancies, whether

the baby comes head first, gestational age, previous uterine scars, number of babies and how

labour started.

Using this system would facilitate comparison and analysis of caesarean rates within and between different facilities and across countries and regions.

Information gathered in a standardised, uniform and reproducible way is critical for health care facilities as they seek to optimise the use of caesarean section and assess and

improve the quality of care, explains Temmerman.

We urge the healthcare community and decision-makers to reflect on these conclusions and put them into practice at the earliest opportunity.

India records a high level of caesarean sections, at least in a few states. the caesarean section delivery rate in India is 9.2 per cent. However, a substantial inter-state variation of caesarean

section exists.

The study found that the proportion of women who have undergone caesarean deliveries is the highest in Kerala (31.8 per cent), followed by Andhra Pradesh (29.3 per cent) and Tamil Nadu

(23.2 per cent) and the lowest in Rajasthan and Jharkhand (4.2 per cent in both states). The study

was published in International Union for the Scientific Study of Population.


Mon, Apr 13, 2015

What you should know about #SaveTheInternet

What is net neutrality?

From projecting the problems of the grassroots, highlighting initiatives and innovations to disseminating knowledge and engaging people for a cause, the Internet has been more than

just a service.

One of the main reasons why the facility has been so successful is that customers have free and equal access to all websites, known as net neutrality.

According to netneutrality.in, a website run by a group of netizens, it is an idea that internet service providers give their customers equal access to all lawful websites and services on the

Internet, without giving priority to any website over another.

Net neutrality is also the Internet's guiding principle that preserves netizens right to communicate freely.

Why is the issue being raised now?

After being turned down in 2012, telecom company Airtel once again proposed in February 2014 that apps like WhatsApp, Skype, You Tube and Line among others should be regulated

as they consume more bandwidth.

This primarily means that Internet Service providers (ISPs) like Airtel want a share in the profits that these apps and other websites are making.

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Due to intense lobbying by telecom operators, in March 2015, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) published a consultation paper [3] to analyse the implications of the growth of

Internet services/Apps/over-the-top content and consider whether or not changes are required in

the current regulatory framework.

The regulator is planning to allow them an extreme violation of net neutrality. If executed, this will not only take away the freedom to access free Internet, but also prevent small

businesses from booming.

In a latest development, TRAI has recommended to strive for non discriminate availability of Internet, says a report on IBN Live website.

Global developments on net neutrality

According to the New York Times, in the US, The Federal Communications Commission recently adopted strong net neutrality rules that should prevent cable and phone companies

from creating fast and slow lanes on the Internet. This has ensured that all users will have equal access to content on websites.

While activists in India are trying to save Internet from the clutches of corporate giants, European Council, a body of 28 countries in the European Union, has adopted a proposal to

allow telecom companies to charge Internet businesses like Netflix and Google a fee to deliver

their content faster, thus paving a way for preferential treatment.

What can you do?

If TRAI amends regulations to suit companies, it is destined to lead to a situation where some companies could form tie ups with ISPs to allow quicker access to their websites.

To prevent the discrimination of Internet content or users being charged differently based on the content or website, savetheinternet.in, a voluntary group of netizens, has put forward a

template response to TRAIs consultation paper. It also allows users to edit their responses before submitting them.


Sun, Apr 12, 2015

Googles patent to put an end to TV, film spoilers online

Search giant Google has been granted a patent for a system that would spot and hide spoilers about TV shows, books and movies from a users social media feeds until they are up to date.

Google was granted a patent by the US Patent and Trademark Office earlier this week for a system and method for processing content spoilers.

The proposed filter would identify spoilers about TV shows, books and movies and remove them from a users social media feeds.

Users can already manually change their social media settings to block specific words and avoid spoilers. The new system, however, will not block every post about a certain show or book.

It will track all the episodes of a show that users have watched. It could then automatically censor content in a users feed if the post is about an episode the user has not seen.

However, this depends on users either manually logging or opting in to having their viewing tracked, similar to how Netflix currently tracks viewing and posts to connected social media

accounts, CNET reported.

The patent does not outline what social media accounts the system would filter or how Google would integrate the system with social networks it does not own.

We hold patents on a variety of ideas some of those ideas later mature into real products or services, some dont,


Sun, Apr 12, 2015

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'New drugs soon for malaria, diabetes'

'The "candidate drugs" for malaria, osteoporosis and diabetes were currently undergoing clinical trials'

The Indian pharmaceutical sector would soon be showcasing candidate drugs for malaria, osteoporosis and diabetes.

With further R&D, important breakthroughs could be on the horizon for these diseases, he said following a visit to the Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI), Lucknow, a wing of the

Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was committed to making India one of the worlds leading destinations for end-to-end drug discovery and innovation by 2020.

the drug laboratories under the CSIR are capable of backing up the Swasth Swachh Bharat Mission.

Our scientists are focussing on both infectious and lifestyle diseases. We are developing next generation drugs, biologics, biosimilars, gene therapeutics, stem cell therapeutics, personalised

medicine and multifunctional nanomedicine,.

Indian R&D efforts in government laboratories like CSIR-CDRI, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (CSIR-IICT, Hyderabad) and CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology

(CSIR-IICB, Kolkata) have a track record in making drugs for kala azar, filaria, leprosy

and tuberculosis available at affordable rates to the common man.

The candidate drugs for malaria, osteoporosis and diabetes were currently undergoing clinical trials, he said, adding that the CSIR-CDRI were simultaneously carrying out Investigational New

Drug (IND) studies on lead molecules for fracture-healing, cancers, thrombosis, malaria and

hyperglycemia. Strengthening of the R&D ecosystem is the priority,


Sat, Apr 11, 2015

Dr Harsh Vardhan Announces Imminent Drug Research Breakthroughs Says, Swasth Bharat Abihyan to be Boosted by Enablers for Pharma R&D

candidate drugs for malaria, osteoporosis and diabetes.

further R&D, important breakthroughs could be on the horizon for effective panacea for these conditions.

Indian R&D efforts in government laboratories like CSIR-CDRI, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (CSIR-IICT, Hyderabad), CSIR- Indian Institute of Chemical Biology (CSIR-IICB,

Kolkata), CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (CSIR-IIIM, Jammu), CSIR-Institute of

Microbial Technology (CSIR-IMTECH, Chandigarh) and CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory

(CSIR-NCL, Pune) have a track record in making drugs for Kala Azar, Filaria, Leprosy and

Tuberculosis available at affordable rates to the common man.

The candidate drugs are currently undergoing clinical trials. CSIR-CDRI is carrying out Investigational New Drug (IND) studies on lead molecules for fracture-healing, cancers,

thrombosis, malaria and hyperglycemia.

scientists are focusing on both infectious and life-style diseases. developing next generation drugs, biologics, biosimilars, gene therapeutics, stem cell therapeutics, personalised medicine

and multifunctional nanomedicine.

Recently, CSIR-IMTECH, Chandigarh has developed a clot specific streptokinase. CSIR-IIIM, Jammu has discovered natural product-based potential medicine for rheumatoid arthritis. CSIR-

IICB, Kolkata has developed an herbal extract for the treatment of benign prostate hyperplasia.

I am certain that India has the potential of becoming a global pharmaceutical powerhouse and is in the process of putting some key enablers in place.

These include giving the right incentives for R&D, forging alliances with the private sector and keeping an open mind on suggestions for fiscal relief to the private sector so that its role in R&D

is enhanced,.

CSIR laboratories have the competencies for new drug discovery and development including clinical trials, and has played a major role over the last six decades in the growth of

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pharmaceutical industry and education in India.

the Prime Minister is committed to making India one of the world's leading destinations for end-to-end drug discovery and innovation by 2020. Strengthening of the R&D ecosystem is the priority,.

He also emphasized that the people of India are expecting that CSIR laboratories would be able to produce therapeutic and preventive measures for re-emerged infectious diseases like

Dengue, Chikunguniya, Encephalitis, Swine Flu as well as conditions like Cancer, Diabetes,

Osteoporosis, Hypertension, Depression and Ulcers.

Today, India ranks third in terms of volume of production with 10 percent share of the global market by volume and 14th largest by value. India is often dubbed the Pharmacy of Developing World.

that India still has a long way to go in Pharma R&D. Moreover, in India pharma needs to move from a phase of manufacturing to innovation.

Government would soon set up the Biopharma Industry Incubator (BII) under the umbrella of CSIR-CDRI, Lucknow. It would strive to build a new generation of enterprises in the health care

sector.

The S&T Ministry is also considering setting up Government Laboratory Practices (GLP)-certified labs in CSIR-CDRI for complete range of Investigational New Drug (IND) studies. He

said the step would foster new drug development as well as shore up the financial bottom line of

the laboratory.

the formation of a National Centre for Laboratory Animals in the CSIR- CDRI new campus conforming to national and international guidelines.

The new institution would serve as a referral centre for lab animal breeding and experimentation for new drug development.


Fri, Apr 10, 2015

Researchers develop single dose Ebola vaccine, call it Trojan Horse

To address any possible safety concerns associated with this vaccine, the team developed two next generation candidate vaccines

The researchers of University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) at Galveston, along with clinical-stage biotechnology company Profectus BioSciences, have developed a single dose

Ebola vaccine. The treatment has been dubbed as Trojan Horse by the researchers.

The vaccine has been undergoing testing in the Galveston National Laboratory, the only fully operational Biosafety Level 4 laboratory on an academic campus in the US.

The findings may pave way for the identification and manufacture of safer, single dose, high efficiency vaccines to combat current and future Ebola outbreaks,

the possibility of helping develop a way to stop this deadly disease.

To develop the vaccine, the research team, according to a release by the UTMB, developed a vaccine effective against Ebola Zaire strain (that was responsible for 2014 outbreak) with a

single dose in a nonhuman primate model.

This new vaccine employs a virus not harmful to humans, called vesicular stomatitis virus that had a part of the Ebola virus inserted into it.

According to UNTB, the Trojan horse vaccine safely triggered an immune response against Ebola Zaire.

To address any possible safety concerns associated with this vaccine, the team developed two next generation candidate vaccines that contain further weakened forms of the vaccine.

Both of these vaccines produced an approximately ten-fold lower level of virus in the blood compared to the first generation vaccine.

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Meanwhile, amid reports that Ebola cases have declined in Guineaone of the three West African countries affected by Ebolaand are lowest since May 2014, there are fears that the virus may be spreading in the little towns and hamlets in the country.

The Ebola response is now concentrating on new hotspots,.


Thu, Apr 9, 2015

Scientists warming up to cold fusion, see potential in other nuclear energy

About thirty scientists from all over India met in Bengaluru to discuss the way forward in an emerging cheap and clean source of energy, called low energy nuclear reactions, or simply cold fusion.

there was a need to study low energy nuclear reactions more.

The objective of the meeting was to further study the phenomenon of cold fusion, devices based on which are beginning to be commercialized elsewhere in the world.

believe that cold fusion has the potential to become the primary source of energy in the not-so-distant future.

Dr Srinivasan, who attended the Bengaluru meeting, said that one of the decisions taken at the meeting was that four groups of institutions and scientists would get into cold fusion research

and there would be an informal oversight committee. Some of the institutions involved are the

Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR), which, incidentally, was once headed by Dr

Baldev Raj, the IIT-Madras, and the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology.

What is cold fusion?

Just as energy (heat) is produced when a nucleus splits in the nuclear power plants that we have, energy gets generated also when two nuclei merge.

But it requires enormous input energy to get them to merge, as they contain positively charged particlesprotonsand same charge tend to move away, not to come close.

Therefore, to get nuclear happen at room temperaturescold fusionhas been thought to be impossible.

In 1989, two American scientistsMartin Fleischmann and Stanley Ponsconducted some experiments and observed more heat given out than they could explain and inferred that the

excess heat was due to nuclear fusion reactions.

They became instant celebrities in the scientific world, but in a matter of weeks they got branded as incompetent scientists, or even frauds, after thousands of others tried their

experiment and got no excess heat. Cold fusion was practically buried.

But the subject was roused again in 2011, when an Italian engineer called Andrea Rossi unveiled his inventiona fist-sized device that produced more energy than it consumed, using only nickel powder spiked with some chemical, and hydrogen as raw materials. He kept the name

of the chemical secret.

An outraged scientific community branded Rossi a charlatan, but the engineer proceeded regardless and started selling his E-Cat machines and has scaled up their capacity to 1 MW.

But lately the world is being less cold towards cold fusion, thanks to a number of experiments that proved that E-Cat-like devices work, though nobody, including Rossi, knows

how.

a group of scientists performed independent third party tests on the E-CAT in February- March 2014 at Lugano, Switzerland and the results were announced in October. report said that

the devices produced more heat than can be explained by chemical burning and conceded that

they had no convincing theoretical explanation. the report also said that the results were too conspicuous not to be followed up.

Furthermore, several universities (Texas Tech University of the US and the Tohoku University of Japan, to name two examples) are opening research divisions or forming committees to look into

cold fusion.

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Next week, the 19{+t}{+h} International Conference on Cold Fusion (ICCF-19) will take place in Italy. The ICCFs have been generally dismissed as meeting of believers but this time around many potential investors, notably the Bill Gates Foundation is taking part in it.

The Hindu science & tech Current Affairs

Wed, Apr 8, 2015

India registers record production of nuclear fuel

Nuclear Fuel Complex produces over 1,252 MT of uranium bundles, close to double the annual fuel requirement.

In a major milestone for the nuclear industry, India has registered a record production of over 1,252 MT of uranium bundles, manufacturing close to double the annual fuel requirement of

atomic reactors in the country.

The production has also exceeded countrys annual fuel requirement of 650 MT for the Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs), which means the country has surplus nuclear

fuel, for at least a few months.

The Hyderabad-based Nuclear Fuel Complex, which produces fuel for nuclear reactors in the country, has produced over 30 per cent more fuel compared to its 961.023 MT production in

2013-14.

The news is a breather for the power reactors in the country, which for all these years had been under- performing, primarily because of lack of fuel.

NFC, set-up with an initial production capacity of 100 MT per year, was augmented several times to a capacity to 850 MT, to cater to the fuel requirement of all the 18 operating PHWRs

and the two Boiling Water Reactors at Tarapur.

The nuclear fuel production in the country has seen a steady increase over the last seven years. A lot has been attributed to the Indo-U.S. nuclear agreement and the subsequent ones

with Nuclear Suppliers Group that made the process of acquiring uranium simpler.

India produces around 5,780 MW of nuclear power. Of this, 4,780 MW of electricity is generated by fuel processed at the NFC. Fuel for the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP) unit 1

is provided by Russia, as per the bilateral agreement.


Wed, Apr 8, 2015

Debilitating effect of silicosis

A recent report of the Rajasthan State Human Rights Commission making far-ranging recommendations to check highly fatal and debilitating silicosis, has once again drawn attention

towards the gravity of the situation and the urgent need to take measures to prevent it.

Silicosis is a fibrotic lung disorder caused by inhalation, retention and pulmonary reaction to crystalline silica, as a result of exposure during mining, stone crushing and quarrying activities.

The most common form of silica is quartz.

Exceptionally high exposure of silica can cause silicosis within a month with a significant impairment of lungs within few years.

The major silicosis prone industries are: stone quarries and crushers; quartz mining; foundries; sand blasting; ceramics; gem cutting and polishing; slate and pencil; construction; mining; and

glass manufacturing.

As per the report of Indian Council for Medical Research (1999), about 30 lakh workers in India are at a high risk of exposure to silica. Out of these, 17 lakh are in mining/quarrying activities,

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6.3 lakh in glass and mica industry and 6.7 lakh in metals industry. In addition, 53 lakh

construction workers are also at the risk of silica exposure.

Experts say this number could be much more as detection is low and is often diagnosed and treated for tuberculosis which aggravates the situation for the patients.

Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi and Karnataka are some of the worst affected States. The potential victims are poor migrant workers employed as casual labourers

who suffer or die for lack of specialised treatment.

Way back in 2011, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) tabled a Special report to Parliament of India on silicosis first of its kind and said failure of the government to provide health facilities was a violation of human rights while suggesting that the government should

ensure health care to all workers employed at places prone to silica and earmark adequate

compensation to the families in the case of death.

The NHRC is of the view that the occupational hazard of silicosis is preventable if the working conditions are property regulated and proper warning and protective equipments are

used. Once a worker or any other person is afflicted by silicosis it becomes a constitutional

obligation on part of the State to take appropriate short-term and long-term measures from the

point of view of providing medical facilities and rehabilitation of the victims, the report said.

The Commission has prepared a set of recommendations for prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of silicosis patients including the use of modern technology to prevent the

disease, regular health check-ups for workers whether regular, contractual or daily wagers at places where they are exposed to silica and even linking silica treatment with the TB Control Programme.

In addition to suggesting legislative protection for silicosis patients, the special report had also recommended automatic compensation for the victims and social security cover to those at risk.

Further, it had called for amending legal provisions like the Mines Act, Factories Act,

Workman's Compensation Act and the ESI Act to bring under their purview those at risk of

silicosis and stricter implementation of the existing laws.

However, there has been very little implementation of these recommendations as well as the existing laws, both at the Centre and the State level, putting lakhs of workers employed in these

hazardous jobs at risk.


Wed, Apr 8, 2015

A digital revolution is quietly under way

Technology is the new normal, as some remote villages show. A multilingual thrust will create a large talent pool

Brand India and Digital India have captured the imagination of the people. Akodara, a tiny village in North Gujarat, is already on its way to making the governments vision a reality.

With a population of just 1,145, the village has introduced a digitised curriculum in school. Teachers use audio-video content and digital boards in the anganwadis. The villagers encourage

girls to undertake skill development programmes that help in understanding and learning office

administration.

Akodara has also created a cashless ecosystem in which shops, merchants and ordinary villagers engage in card transactions.

Elsewhere, in the tiny hamlet of Chanduali in Rajasthan, the children are all excited about the internet and connecting on Facebook with their laptops!

Clearly, what started as a visionary notion once, is now the new normal! The government has taken a step in the right direction to end the huge divide between rural and urban India, and the

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digital haves and have-nots.

Industry studies such as Mary Meekers Internet Trends 2014 suggest that over the last one year alone, India has witnessed a 27 per cent growth in internet users compared to the global 10 per

cent.

While the report pegs the current user base at 154 million, it points to the fact that only 13 per cent of India is connected. If we take a look at the bigger picture, India is still an emerging

market.

Big leap forward

Technology is clearly at the forefront of a revolution that promises to bridge the digital divide in the country through data and telecom networks, enabling wireless connectivity and

creating 1.7 crore direct and 8.5 crore indirect jobs.

As technology leads the way towards economic progress, stable governance, inclusive and accessible healthcare, education and citizen services, creating an enabling environment is a

must. For this to happen, companies need to focus on technology for governance, and

technology for empowerment.

Focus on innovation, not pricing : Much of the digital gap can be bridged if technology is made affordable. We will need to move up the value chain, focusing on innovation and

creating new products and solutions rather than focusing on pricing strategies.

Increase investments in technology and enhanced PPP : Dedicated investments are sure to hit the sweet spot with consumers, thereby boosting greater technology adoption.

In fact, organisations such as MAIT are already working hand-in-hand with the government to forge efficient network systems, build digital super highways and integrate technology into

traditional systems. More such partnerships are critical to enrich and accelerate the

implementation of Digital India.

Weave in multi-lingual capabilities : India is a diverse and multicultural country. With electronic manufacturers and operating systems incorporating voice capabilities and linguistic

search capabilities, education can receive a comprehensive boost.Imparting education with

technology built-in with multilingual capabilities would help address the skills challenge and

create an industry-ready talent pool.

Leverage technology for better governance : Integrating traditional systems into modern systems will simplify various aspects of governance be it building an efficient public distribution system, automating work, transforming the urban- rural living environment or

delivering better healthcare.

This in turn will boost the existing programmes of the government such as Aadhaar, the Central Monitoring System, Netra, and Natgrid which are helping inclusive development and growth.

Technology will act as a critical leveller to bolster these programmes, thus building the bridge

between the government and the citizen.

It is clear that while technology giants and businesses continue to take big strides across the globe, in India, they can play a strong and significant role in transforming India into a global

knowledge hub.


Tue, Apr 7, 2015

ADB, Japan to help countries tap space technology to fight natural disasters

Grant from the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction will be used to train government, community officials and volunteers in Armenia, Bangladesh, Fiji, and the Philippines

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Japan are all set to help developing countries in Asia and the Pacific region tap the latest technology in a bid to help them respond to natural

disasters quickly and effectively.

An US $ 2 million grant from the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction (JFPR), administered by the ADB, will be used to train government and community officials as well as local volunteers in

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Armenia, Bangladesh, Fiji, and the Philippines to use state-of-the-art space-based technology

and sophisticated tools for disaster prevention and planning. These countries will act as pilots

for the wider adoption of the technology across the entire region.

JFPR was established in May 2000 to provide grants for projects aimed at poverty reduction and social development activities.

Use of technology in disaster prevention

The use of space technology, including satellite-based systems like the Global Positioning System (GPS,) for responding to natural disasters has grown considerably over the recent years. But

many developing countries still lack adequate funds and the expertise to adopt new technologies

which can supplement their existing systems of sending out early warnings.

Countries which are vulnerable to catastrophes need more information-based disaster risk management and response tools to prepare better before disasters strike, and to respond better

after earthquakes, floods or typhoons hit, Yusuke Muraki, infrastructure specialist with ADBs regional and sustainable development department, said.

Space-based technology can help these pilot countries improve their resilience in an efficient, sustainable way with reliable and timely disaster-related data.

How will the project work?

The technical assistance project will train government agencies and local communities in the selected countries to use OpenStreetMap.

It is a community-based digital world mapping platform and mobile phone application which allows collection of information for disaster risk planning.

Combining satellite-based hazard maps with existing local government maps of vulnerable areas will help in the identification of potential disaster locations precisely, according to the report.


Mon, Apr 6, 2015

Countries vow to wipe out sheep and goat plague globally by 2030

The deadly animal disease causes a loss of US $2billion annually and has put livelihood of millions of poor at risk in 70 countries of Asia and Africa

The authorities from 15 countries came together to take a pledge to eradicate devastating animal disease Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) which mainly affects sheep and goat across the world, especially Middle East, Southeast Asia and Africa.

If it happens successfully, then it would be second deadliest animal disease to get eradicated. Before this, rinderpest was eradicated from the world in 2011.

According to United Nations food agency Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), PPR is estimated to cause over US $2 billion in losses each yearmostly in Africa, Asia and the Middle East and its elimination will improve food and nutritional security for billions of consumers and especially the more than 300 million vulnerable households who keep sheep and goats in the

affected regions.

Ministerial delegations (along with more than 300 participants from across the continents) and representatives of regional and international organisations agreed to a plan drawn up by FAO

and the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and presented at a meeting organised by

the two institutions with the Government of Cote d'Ivoire

What is PPR?

PPR is caused by a virus that can kill as many as 90 per cent of the animals it infects within days.

After a rapid expansion over the past 15 years, the disease is now present in around 70 countries.

It is also related to rinderpest, the cattle plague that FAO and OIE declared as eradicated in 2011, thereby ending a primary cause of famine and unrest in recent centuries.

The 2.1 billion small ruminants in the world 80 percent of which live in affected regionsare critical assets for poor rural households in developing countries. They provide quality protein,

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milk, nutrition, fertilizer, wool and fibre as well as income opportunities and financial

flexibility.

According to the press release, if adequate resources are coordinated at all levels then PPR can be eradicated in half the time it took to eradicate rinderpest. For its complete eradication, strong

political commitment from national government and effective engagement with veterinary

services and rural communities is needed.

"Eradication of PPR is not only within reach, but also in our hands.

mobilise public and private components of national veterinary services worldwide to influence our strategy," "Improving animal health is our duty and our passion."

Moreover, the campaign will produce very significant collateral benefits, both by boosting the goods and services of the national veterinary systems that can control other livestock diseases

such as brucellosis or foot-and-mouth disease, and because eradication of the PPR threat will

unleash greater investment in the sector, improve nutrition, and secure people's livelihoods.

According to the international health agency, demand for meat and milk from small ruminants in Africa is expected to rise by 137 per cent from 2000 to 2030, and even more in Asia. It is the

diseases that cripple the efficiencies in reaching these needs.


Mon, Apr 6, 2015

Pesticide and antibiotic use threaten food safety in India

Pesticide and antibiotic use threaten food safety in India

While WHO focuses on food-borne diseases on the occasion of World Health Day, Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment expands the scope of food safety to include other local factors that make food unsafe for consumption Safe food and health are strongly linked.

To highlight the importance of this link, the World Health Organization has chosen food safety as the theme of this years World Health Day, celebrated every year on April 7.

Unsafe food is the reason behind more than 200 diseases, many of which lead to the deaths of several thousand adults and children around the world.

Ensuring food safety is a tough challenge in a large and complex country like India. Adulteration of several food items is regularly reported from different parts of country. A

case in point is the adulteration of milk with water and detergents in most states. The water used

for diluting milk could be contaminated with bacteria or virus, while detergents are toxic

to humans.

Pesticide use and management are largely unregulated in India. Food contaminated with pesticide residues is linked with long-term health effects such as endocrine disruption, birth

defects and cancer.

Besides raw agriculture produce, pesticides have been found in packaged food products such as soft drinks and bottled water.

So rampant is their use that they have been found in human tissues, blood and even breast milk. Unregistered pesticides and those with no set maximum limits are being used. Waiting periods

are not known or not followed in many cases.

Their usage is largely influenced by the industrys marketing initiatives due to less effective farm extension services and limited coherence between government institutions at the Centre

and in the state. Indiscriminate use of antibiotics for non-therapeutic reasons such as growth

promotion and mass disease prevention is a common practice in intensive industrialised farm

settings in the country.

Residues of antibiotics and drug-resistant bacteria can get transferred to humans through contaminated food. Drug resistance, which is linked with the practice of using antibiotics,

makes food-borne illnesses difficult to treat. Most bacteria which cause food-borne illnesses

such as E. coli, salmonella and campylobacter are already found to be multi- drug resistant in the

country.

Microbiological contamination of street food is a concern. On the other hand, the most common replacement of street food is processed and packaged food, which is laden with

chemical additives used or generated during processing and packaging.

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Long-term risks of many of these additives are still not known. Besides, ultra-processed junk foods are also known to be high in salt, sugar and fats, including trans fats.

Considering their established linkages with non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, obesity and heart disease, it would be more than appropriate to consider these foods as unsafe

too.

Another challenge is that ultra-processed junk food and other pre-packaged foods are cheap and more easily available than freshly prepared foods, fruits and vegetables. This is due to

increasing industrial food production practices, transition in food consumption habits,

fragmented food industry characterised by huge number of micro and small food operators,

and a newly set up food safety authority. This becomes more challenging in India as a large

proportion of the population is undernourished and unaware about the very concept of food

safety.

The connection between food and health (or disease in this case) is less understood. India can no longer afford to remain torn between providing food and safe food to all. Safe food is a must. Recommendations of CSE Strengthen the implementation and enforcement of the

Food Safety and Standards Act (FSS).

Set financial and legal penalties to act as deterrents. Apply procedures and practices of product approval, registration and licensing of food business operators to facilitate better enforcement

of the law of the land. Improve food testing laboratory infrastructure and skills. It will also

help identify and address food-safety emergencies.

Set scientific and internationally accepted limits for chemicals or determinants of unsafe food.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) should set maximum residual limits for antibiotic residues in chicken and other food-producing animals.

Also, set and implement a stringent limit for trans fats in hydrogenated oils at 5 per cent. Prioritise training, education and awareness of all stakeholders.

Mass communication efforts and initiatives are the need of the hour. Emphasise appropriate food labelling to inform consumers better.

Set a national level disease surveillance and public alert system.

Domestic food and international trade policies should facilitate easy and cheap availability of freshly prepared food, fruits and vegetables in the country.


Mon, Apr 6, 2015

Speech by the President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee at the presentation of National

Geoscience Awards

1. These Awards were instituted in 1966 as the National Mineral Awards with the objective to honour

and recognize individual and teams of scientists for their extraordinary achievements in the field of

fundamental or applied geo-sciences, mining and allied areas.

2. Over time, the scope of these Awards was widened to accommodate new and relevant fields of geo-

scientific development. In 2009, it was enlarged into the National Geo-science Awards to foster

further research in Geo-sciences.

3. the Ministry of Mines for this initiative. It is heartening to note that these prestigious Awards not

only recognize lifetime contributions but also take cognizance of the outstanding efforts of young

researchers.

4. Geo-science is a comprehensive branch of science that deals with the planet Earth.

5. The phenomena that make Earth the most magnificent spectacle of nature are diverse. The study

of geo-sciences enables mankind to decipher the interplay of various forces of nature. This important

science stream helps us to unravel the mystery of the origin and dynamism of the earth, the oceans,

earthquakes, volcanoes, river systems and the like. It also contributes to our growing understanding of

the evolution of life on this planet.

6. Geo-science is an old discipline. Since ages, it has defined the trajectory of human civilizations and

their transitions. The findings within the domain of this scientific field have shaped the Stone Age,

Copper Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age.

7. More recently, it has helped build the foundation of the modern industrial world - be it spaceship or

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aircraft, cell phone or computer, nuclear devise or missile system.

8. Outcomes that have emerged from geo-scientific research have contributed to scientific progress in

no small measure.

9. India, with a unique geological diversity, has played a significant role in the evolution of geo-sciences.

10. The concepts developed in our country on Gondwanaland, Charnockites, Carbonatites,

Tectonics, Earthquakes and ore deposits in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century have been

instrumental in the growth of this vast discipline.

11. A noteworthy development in the 1890s India has been the introduction of petrological microscope for the study of rocks for the first time ever.

12. India has a rich heritage of geological research work.

13. The Geological Survey of India, established in 185

science & technology-april-2015

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