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CURRENT ASPECT OF SCIENCE & TECH.(PART-2)

BRAHMOS MISSILE TEST-FIRED FROMINDIAN NAVY’S NEWEST SHIP INS KOCHI.

• BrahMos supersonic cruise missile was onSunday test fired from on board guided missiledestroyer INS Kochi off the western coast.

• The missi le accurately hit the target , adecommissioned naval ship…This is significantstep in the operationalisation of the Navy’s latestguided missile stealth destroyer

• BrahMos as the prime strike weapon willensure the warship’s invincibi lity byengaging naval surface targets at longranges, thus making the destroyer anotherlethal platform of Indian Navy, The navycommissioned INS Kochi on September 30 thisyear. The 7,500-ton indigenously developedwarship incorporates new design concepts forimproved survivability, stealth, sea-keeping andmaneuverability.

SPECIAL FEATURES• Universal for multiple platforms• “fire and forget” principle• High supersonic speed all through the flight• Long flight range with varieties of flight trajectories.• Low radar signature• Shorter flight times leading to lower target

dispersion and quicker engagement.• Pinpoint accuracy with high lethal power aided by

large kinetic energy on impact.

WORLD’S MOST POWERFULSUPERCOMPUTER

• China’s Tianhe-2 supercomputer has maintainedits position as the world’s most powerful systemfor the sixth consecutive time, according to abiannual Top500 list of supercomputers.

• Tianhe-2 or Milky Way 2, with a performance of33.86 petaflops per second (Pflop/s), wasdeveloped by China’s National University ofDefense Technology and deployed at the NationalSupercomputer Center in Guangzhou.

GERMLINE EDITING• “Germ line” refers to the egg and sperm, which

combine to form an embryo.• Germline editing is a genome- editing technology

that can, in principle, be developed to makespecific and targeted genetic alterations inembryos, which will be carried by all the cells ofa resulting child and passed on to his/heroffspring, a part of the human gene pool.

• All other techniques of genome editing currentlyin various stages of clinical development focuson modifying the genetic material of somatic cells,such as T cells (a type of white blood cell).

• These are not designed to affect sperm or eggs.

Benefits of germline editing:• By editing the DNA of egg and sperm or the

embryo itself, it could be possible to correctdisease genes and pass those genetic fixes onto future generations.

• It might also be possible to install genes that offerlifelong Protection against infection.

Issues with Germline editing:• Calls for a moratorium on human germline

genome editing have been carefully examined.• In vitro research is not necessarily subject to

moratorium.• Most importantly, the socioethical implications

of the research need to be widely debated.• Public dialogue is crucial to shape social attitudes

towards germline editing.Genetically modifying eggs, sperm, and zygotes(‘germline’ modification) can impact on the entirebody of the resulting individual and on subsequentgenerations. With the advent of genome-editingtechnology, human germline gene modification isno longer theoretical. Owing to increasingconcerns about human germl ine genemodification, a voluntary moratorium on humangenome-editing research and/or the clinicalapplication of human germline genome editing hasrecently been called for. However, whether suchresearch should be suspended or encouragedwarrants careful consideration.



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WORLD’S FIRST BIOLOGICALLYPOWDERED CHIPIn a major breakthrough, researchers at ColumbiaEngineering have harnessed the molecular machineryof living systems to power an integrated circuit.

They achieved this by integrating a conventionalsol id-state complementary metal -oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) integrated circuit with anartificial lipid bilayer membrane containing adenosinetriphosphate (ATP)-powered ion pumps.

In living systems, ATP is used to transport energyfrom where it is generated to where it is consumed inthe cell.

ATP:• Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is a nucleoside

triphosphate used in cells as a coenzyme oftencalled the “molecular unit of currency” ofintracellular energy transfer.

• ATP transports chemical energy within cells formetabolism.

• It is one of the end products ofphotophosphorylation, cellular respiration, andfermentation and used by enzymes and structuralproteins in many cellular processes, includingbiosynthetic reactions, motility, and cell division.

UNIVERSAL IMMUNISATION PROGRAMMEFOR CERVICAL CANCER

• The health ministry to introduce human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in the universal immunizationprogramme at the earliest. The virus is believedto be responsible for most cervical cancer cases— more than 80 per cent, according to someestimates.

• After breast cancer, cervical cancer is the secondmost common cancer among women in India.According to the national cancer registry data,92,731 cases of cervical cancer were reported inIndia in 2013, a figure that is projected to go up to1,00,479 in 2020 (source: National Cancer Profile).

• This is also because the plan to have a foolproofcancer screening programme, unde the NationalProgramme for Prevention and Control of Cancer,Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke(NPCDCS), has not quite taken off, more thanfive years after it was started.

What is HPV?• HPV is a group of 150 viruses, known to cause

warts or papillomas. Some can cause cancer,particularly cervical cancer.

• HPV vaccine should be administered at 11-12years of age. Catch-up vaccines arerecommended for men at 21 and women at 26, ifthere was no vaccination earlier.

NATIONAL POLICY FOR OPTICALFIBRE: THE NEED

• A National Policy Framework Sought forOptical Fibre Rollout. Citing limited spectrumfor cellular services, telecom players said thegovernment should come out with anindustry-friendly policy to facilitate the rolloutof optical fibre across the country.

• Optical fibre cable (OFC) will be more valuablethan the spectrum in coming days. Spectrum islimited and also has gone in the different tangent.In the country we don’t have proper policy to helpoptical fibre roll out. Industry needs a friendlypolicy for this.

• 90-95 per cent mobile usage takes place when aperson is in home, office or somewhere stationed.“If we have optical fibre reaching at these placesthen through wi-fi hotspot (created with help ofOFC), we can provide services and 90 per cent ofour work will be done.

• Government should mandate every new buildingto have provision for OFC in design plan like it isrequired in case of other amenities — electricity,water pipeline. This will make building future readyand meet Prime Minister’s vision of Digital India,”state-run MTNL Executive Director Anuj KumarSrivastava said.

SIR CHANDRASEKHARA VENKATARAMANHis 45th death anniversary on 21st November 2015and 128th birth anniversary on 7th November 2015

• Raman Effect: Explained the scattering of lightpassing through a transparent material. He wonthe 1930 Nobel Prize in Physics for this discovery.

• Experimental and theoretical studies on thediffraction of light by waves of ultrasonic andhypersonic frequencies.

• In 1930 he won the Nobel Prize in Physics.• In 1954 he was awarded the Bharat Ratna



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• India celebrates National Science Day on 28February of every year to commemorate thediscovery of the Raman Effect in 1928.

• He was the first Asian and first non-white toreceive any Nobel Prize in the sciences. Beforehim Rabindranath Tagore (also Indian) hadreceived the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913.

NANOTECHNOLOGY TO REGENERATEBONES

• Scientists at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc),Bengaluru suggests that ‘3D Blocks’ of graphenecomposites can be used for bone tissueregeneration as they mimic the environment ofthe bone.

• Graphene will be used for strengtheningPolycaprolactone (PCL) — a biodegradablepolymer which will be used for bone support.

• The purpose of the PCL is to provide only atemporary home for the regenerating cells &allowing for healthy tissue to eventually replacethe scaffold.

• Nanotechnology will be used to create 3Dstructure of Graphene.

Graphene: A form of carbon consisting of planarsheets which are one atom thick, with the atomsarranged in a honeycomb-shaped lattice.

• It Is an allotrope of carbon in the form of a two-dimensional, atomic-scale, honey-comb lattice inwhich one atom forms each vertex. It is the basicstructural element of other al lotropes,i n c l ud i ng g r aph i t e , c ha r c oa l , c a r bonnanotubes and ful lerenes. It can also beconsidered as an indef initelylarge aromatic molecule.

• Graphene has many extraordinary properties. Itis about 100 times stronger than the strongeststeel. It conducts heat and electricity efficientlyand is nearly transparent.

PRESENCE OF NEON GAS IN MOON’SATMOSPHERE

• NASA’s Lunar Atmosphere and Dust EnvironmentExplorer (LADEE) has confirmed for the first time,the existence of glowing neon gas on the moon’satmosphere.

• Neon gas is commonly used in electric signs onEarth because of its intense glow. Scientists havespeculated on the presence of neon in the lunaratmosphere for decades.

• There is not enough neon to make the moonvisibly glow because the moon’s atmosphere isextremely tenuous, about 100 trillion times lessdense than Earth’s atmosphere at sea level.

• A dense atmosphere like Earth’s is relatively rarein our solar system because an object has to besufficiently massive to have enough gravity to holdonto it. It is critical to learn about the lunarexosphere before sustained human explorationsubstantially alters it.

• Since the moon’s atmosphere is so thin, rocketexhaust and outgassing from spacecraft couldeasily change its composition. The LADEEconfirms that the moon’s exosphere is made upof mostly helium, argon and neon. The spacecraftconducted systematic measurements of thesegases for seven months, which allowed the teamsto understand how these gases are supplied tothe exosphere, and how they are ultimately lost.

• It also revealed an unexpected source of some ofthe helium in the lunar exosphere. This helium isbeing produced at a rate equivalent to about sevenlitres per second at standard atmosphericpressure.

• About 20% of the helium is coming from the Moonitself, most likely as the result from the decay ofradioactive thorium and uranium, also found inlunar rocks.

SPACE CO-OPERATION AGREEMENTBETWEEN INDIA AND RUSSIA

• India and Russia pursue joint programmes in afew areas of space research. Indian SpaceResearch Organisation (ISRO) and RussianFederal Space Agency (ROSCOSMOS) havesigned a new Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) on expansion of cooperation in the field ofthe exploration and use of outer space for peacefulpurposes. There is no transfer of space technologyenvisaged under this MoU.

• This new MoU provides scope for developing jointactivities in areas of mutual interest, includingsatellite navigation; launch vehicle development;critical technologies for human spaceflightprogramme; remote sensing of Earth; spacescience and planetary exploration; and use ofground space infrastructure. Specific cooperationproposals for further processing are also includedin the MoU. Joint projects; sharing of expertiseand resources; development of space systems



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and components; exchange of scientists; trainingand scientific and technical meetings are listedout as the forms of cooperation on the above areas.Further, provisions are included in the MoU toconclude separate agreements for specific areasof cooperation detailing objectives, proceduresand financial aspects.

• Expansion of space cooperation between Indiaand Russia through this MoU is likely to benefitISRO in further consolidation and augmentationof its space programme in various domainsincluding space exploration.

NANO MEDICINE BREAKTHROUGH AGIANT LEAP FOR INDIA

• National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education andResearch (NIPER), Mohali has put India in theselect club of countries that manufacture rawmaterial for generating nano-crystal basedmedicines.

• Nano-crystals are tiny nanometre-sized particlesof the drug that act faster and more efficientlythan the conventional ones. The US and Irelandare the only other countries where the technologyis available.

• NIPER has already got an Indian patent for thetechnology and has now applied for the US andthe European patents. The indigenous technologywill cut the cost of such drugs by almost half,claim experts who have developed the technologyin laboratory quantities at NIPER.

• The nanotechnology-enabled drug deliverymarket is estimated to be $136 billion. Out ofthis, 60% share is expected to be occupiedby nanocrystals.

• NIPER has developed a technology for generationof nano crystalline solid dispersions calledNanoCrySP. More than 60% of the drugs are noteasily soluble in water. This prevents theirabsorption in the blood and tissues and most ofthe drug is excreted without absorption.Consequently, oral drugs lose their efficiency.Using nano-crystals for medicines this problemof insolubili ty has been resolved, as thetechnology to prepare raw material for theproduction of these crystals has been developed.

• NIPER has entered into licensing agreement fordevelopment and commercialisation, retaining theownership of the patent, with Windlas Biotechlimited, an Indian pharmaceutical company.

ENCOURAGING THE PRODUCTION OFORGANIC MANURE FROM BIO-WASTE

• Government is encouraging the production oforganic manure from bio-waste under the CapitalInvestment Subsidy Scheme (CISS) of “NationalMission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA)” programme. Under this scheme, financialassistance is provided @ 100% upto a maximumlimit of Rs.190 lakh to State Govt./Govt. Agenciesand @ 33% upto a maximum limit of Rs.63.00lakh per unit to individuals/private agencies throughNABARD as capital investment for setting up ofmechanized Fruit/Vegetable market waste/Agrowaste compost production unit of 3000 TPAproduction capacity.

• Government is encouraging the use of organic/bio fert i l izer through various schemes/programmes viz:

• National Mission for sustainable Agriculture (NMSA)• Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY),• Rashgtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY),• Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture

(MIDH),• National Mission on Oilseeds & Oil Palm

(NMOOP),• National Biogas and Manure Management

Programme (NBMMP),• Network Project on Organic Farming of Indian

Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) andNational Programme on Organic Production(NPOP) of Agricultural & Processed FoodProducts Export Development Authority(APEDA).

NMSA1. Se t t i n g u p o f m ec han i z ed F r u i t /

Vegetable marketwaste/ Agro wastecompost production unit.

2. Se t t i n g up o f St a t e o f a r t l i q u i d / c a r r i e r based B i o - f e r t i l i z e r / B i o -pesticide units

3. Setting up of Bio fertilizer and Organicfertilizertesting Quality Control Laboratory(BOQCL) or Strengthening of existingLaboratory under FCO.

Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana- (PKVY)Adoption of organic farming through clusterapproach under Participatory Guaranteesystem (PGS) certification.



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6. Support to research for development oforganic package of practicesspecific to state and crpping system

7. Setting up of separate Organic AgricultureResearch and Teaching Department

RKVY:Under RKVY, State Governments have flexibility andautonomy in the process of selection, planning,approval and execution of schemes including OrganicFarming, as per their priorities. Accordingly, costs ofprojects under Organic Farming are approved byrespective State Level Sanctioning Committees.

NPOP:NPOP was notified under Foreign Trade Development& Regulation Act (FTDR) in year 2001, primarily forregulation and certification of organic commoditiesmeant for export. It provides institutional mechanismfor the implementation of National Standards forOrganic Production, through a National AccreditationPolicy and Programme. It covers crop production,animal husbandry, food processing, labeling, storageand transport.

NMOOP:Has launched a scheme for increasing production andproductivity of oilseed crops in the country. Theexpenditure on subsidies is mostly shared on 75: 25sharing basis between Central and State Government.Financial assistance is being provided for different typeof components including bio-fertilisers, Supply ofRhyzobium culture/Phosphate Solubilising Bacteria(PSB)/ Zinc Solubilising Bacreria (ZSB)/ Azatobacter/Mycorrhiza and vermi compost.

ICAR:ICAR Research Centres are involved in developingPackage of Practices for different crops and croppingsystem under Organic Farming in different agro-ecoregions of country.

WEB PORTALS FOR FARMERS• PGS - India

PGS-India (Participatory Guarantee System ofIndia) is a quality assurance initiative that is locallyrelevant, emphasize the participation ofstakeholders, including producers and consumersand operate outside the frame of third partycertification.

Guiding PrinciplesPGS India system is based on participatory approach,a shared vision, transparency and trust. In addition itgives PGS movement a National recognition andinstitutional structure.

ParticipationParticipation is an essential and dynamic part of PGS.Participation embodies the principle of collectiveresponsibility for ensuring the organic integrity of thePGS. This collective responsibility is reflected through:

• Shared ownership of the PGS• Stakeholder engagement in the development and

operation process• Understanding of how the system works and• Direct communication between producers and

consumers and other stakeholders

Fertilizer Quality Control System Portal:Fertilizer Quality Control System (FQCS) is a webbased and configurable workflow application developedby NIC for processing of sample collection, testingand generation of analysis reports.

SOIL HEALTH CARD PORTAL• Under the scheme, Soil Health Card portal has

been developed for registration of soil samples,recording test results of soil samples andgeneration of Soil Health Card (SHC) along withFertilizer Recommendations.

• It is a workflow based application with followingmajor modules; (i) Soil Samples Registration (ii)Test Result Entry by Soil Testing Labs (iii)Fertilizer Recommendations based on STCR andGFR (iv) Soil Health Card generation along with FertilizerRecommendation and micronutrient suggestions (v) MISmodule for monitoring progress.

• It promotes uniform adoptions of codes for e.g.Census Codes for locations. The system hassample tracking feature and will provide alerts tofarmers about sample registration and generationof Soil Health Card through SMS and Email.

• Soil Health Card portal aims to generate and issueSoil Health Cards based on either Soil Test-CropResponse (STCR) formulae developed by ICARor General Fertilizer Recommendations providedby State Governments. Based on test results,these recommendations will be calculatedautomatically by the system. Micronutrientssuggestions will also be provided by the system.



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• The System envisages building up a singlenational database on soil health for future use inresearch and planning.

FODDER POINTS:• At present, general fertilizer recommendations are

followed by farmers for primary nutrients (N, P &K). However, secondary and micro nutrients areoften overlooked leading to deficiency of nutrientslike Sulphur, Zinc and Boron. This has become alimiting factor in increasing food productivity.Keeping this in view, Government of India ispromoting soil test based balanced and judicioususe of chemical fertilizers, along with bio-fertilizersand locally available organic manures.

• Government of India provides assistance to StateGovernments for setting up / strengthening of soiltesting laboratories. Some of the States wereissuing Soil Health Card but there was no uniformnorm for sampling, testing and distribution of SoilHealth Cards across the States. It is for the firsttime that Government of India has launched SoilHealth Card scheme to cover 14 crore holdingsonce in a cycle of 3 years to promote soilmanagement practices and restore soil health.

• The SHC scheme will provide assistance to StateGovernments to issue Soil Health Cards and alsoto develop a database to improve service delivery.It supplements the ongoing scheme to create/strengthen capacity in terms of rapid and low costdiagnostic techniques, mobile laboratories,portable soil testing kits and referral labs. Itprovides improved and targeted guidelines tomanage deficiencies and scientific expertise indiagnostic and management of nutrientsdeficiencies.

FLAMINGO SANCTUARY• A flamingo sanctuary in a bustling metropolis.

Mumbai is setting another record after being hometo a national park for decades.

• The Maharashtra Revenue and Forest Departmentnotified the northern part of the creek as a wildlifesanctuary under Section 18 of the Wildlife(Protection Act), 1972.

• The sanctuary will be the State’s second marinesanctuary after the one at Malvan. The 1,690-hectare bird haven — 896 hectares of mangroveforests and 794 hectares of a waterbody — is onthe western bank of the creek, between the Airoliand the Vashi bridges connecting Mumbai and

Navi Mumbai. Its eco-sensitive zone will be theadjoining mangrove areas on either side of thecreek, which are already notified as reserveforests.

• The creek has been attracting flamingos in largenumbers since 1994. By November every year,over 30,000 of these birds, along with their chicks,descend here and occupy the mudflats and thebordering mangroves. They stay here till May, afterwhich most of them migrate to Bhuj in Gujarat forbreeding, leaving a small resident population. Alarge number of waders are also spotted alongwith them.

• Besides supporting a large congregation offlamingos, the area is a refuge for many residentand migratory birds. In all, 200 species have beenreported, even globally threatened species suchas the greater spotted eagle and others. Such asosprey.

• Pied avocet, western reef heron, black-headedibis, common redshank, marsh sandpiper,common greenshank, curlew sandpiper, brown-headed gull, whiskered, gull-billed, Caspian andlittle terns, white-bellied sea eagle and Eurasianmarsh harrier have been spotted. BirdLifeInternational has declared the creek animportant bird area.

FLAMINGOS:• The name comes from the Latin word for flame.

The pink color in their plumage is due to betacarotene-rich food in the form of blue-green algaeand shrimps.

• In India two types of flamingo species are found-the greater and lesser flamingo.

• Greater ones are tall with black-tipped grey beakand whitish eyes and whiter in body color. Neckbeing perfect S-shaped.

• The lesser ones are comparatively smaller, pinkerwith dark beaks and red eyes. Their neck being J-shaped.

MIGRATION: REASONS• GENERALLY NON-MIGRATORY BUT DUE TO

CHANGES IN THE CLIMATE AND WATER LEVELS INTHEIR BREEDING AREAS THEY MOVE AND THEIRCOLONIES ARE NOT PERMANENT.

• MOST FLAMINGOS THAT MIGRATE WILLRETURN TO THE NATIVE COLONY TO BREED.HOW EVER SOME MAY JOIN THENEIGHBOURING.



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DRDO collaborates with PatanjaliAyurved for marketing Sea buckthornbased products.

• One of the Life Science laboratories of DRDO,Defence Institute of High Altitude Research(DIHAR) has successfully developed technologiesbased on Seabuckthorn that has found to behaving high nutritional values. It can be used asquality food supplements as they have very highanti-oxidants, v itamins and minerals. M/sPatanjali Ayurved Ltd. has taken Transfer ofTechnologies (ToT) through a ”NonExclusive” license from DRDO for five of the

Seabuckthorn based products namely:Seabuckthorn Beverage, Seapricot Beverage,herbal Tea, Seabuckthorn Oil Soft Gel Capsulesand Seabuckthorn Jam.

• M/s Patanjali Ayurved Ltd, being a major wellrecognised Indian brand in Ayurved and naturalhealth products and with its extensive network ofdistributors throughout India, can take theseproducts to the market more effectively. Beingone of the biggest manufacturers of Ayurvedaproducts in the country with WHO-GMP certified,M/s Patanjali can further innovate and find morebenefits for these products.


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