KAMLA NAGAR, DELHI - 110007 ANIMATION | VFX tel. - CHANGE

More documents

Recommendations

Info

DECEMBER 2011 Hot Rocks could help Trigger Earthquakes The heat generated when rocks grind against each other during earthquakes could be a major contributor to the weakening of faults and setting the stage for a bigger tremor, scientists have found. When rocks scrap against each other, they produce extreme heat at scattered microscopic bumps, called asperities, where they make contact. This process is similar to producing heat by rubbing your hands together, but on an extreme scale. At major faults, such as the San Andreas in California, flashes of heat from rocks shearing past each other melts the rock. This makes the rocks slippery at those microscopic contact points, lowering the friction between them enough to trigger a significant amount of stress and setting the stage for an earthquake, the researchers said. To learn more about this flash heating, the scientists rubbed together different types of rocks commonly found in faults, such as quartzite and granite. They simulated earthquake speeds of close to 1.6 feet per second (0.5 meters per second). The bumps, or asperities, each had a surface area of less than 10 microns wide, or about a tenth of the diameter of a human hair. The researchers, who detailed their study in the journal Science, found that intense flash heating can heat asperities dramatically, perhaps up to 3,270 degrees Fahrenheit (1,800 degrees Celsius), enough to melt most rock types associated with earthquake faults. Brain Tumour Culprit `Identified` Scientists identified a new biochemical mechanism, which allows brain tumours to survive and grow. This finding will pave the way for new and effective treatments for some of the most aggressive tumours. An international team, led by the University Hospital of Heidelberg made the discovery. Scientists identified the major role played by kynurenine, in favouring the brain tumour growth and at the same time suppressing anti-tumour immune response. Kynurenine is a by-product of metabolism of essential amino acid tryptophan. Google Earth Maps Typhoid Outbreaks in Nepal Scientists have for the first time accurately mapped typhoid outbreaks in Nepal using Google Earth and new gene sequencing technology Scientists working in Nepal have tried out a combo of cutting edge gene sequencing technology and global positioning system (GPS) to map typhoid’s spread and trace its source. More than 150 years ago, John Snow mapped cholera cases in Soho, London, tracing the source of the outbreak to a contaminated water pump. Typhoid fever is caused by two bugs, Salmonella typhi and Salmonella paratyphi. They are found in Kathmandu and usually spread through water or food contaminated with faeces. Symptoms include fever, abdominal pain and vomiting. Recent advances in DNA sequencing help precisely track disease spread by measuring mutations in the pathogen’s DNA, the journal Open Biology reports. However, tracing the spread of typhoid has proved challenging as these mutations are small in number and not detectable by current techniques, according to an Oxford University release. Tracing outbreaks of typhoid in Kathmandu also carries its own problem: street names are not used in Nepal, so capturing the addresses of typhoid cases and accurately mapping the outbreaks have proved challenging to health workers. Scientists at the Wellcome Trust Major Overseas Programme in Vietnam and the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit in Nepal have found a way to accurately map typhoid outbreaks in the city. Their research combines DNA sequencing technology and GPS signalling, and maps the data onto Google Earth. To capture the information, health workers would visit a patient’s home and use GPS to capture the exact location. They would also take a blood sample from the hospitalised patient to isolate the organism and to allow analysis of the typhoid strain’s genotype — its genetic make-up. This genotyping used sequencing technology able to identify single changes in the ‘letters’ of DNA — the A, C, T and Gs that make up the code. The study showed that people living near to water spouts, for which these provide their main source of water, and people living at a lower elevation, are at substantially greatest risk of contracting the disease. Humans are Just Modified Fish Humans are just modified fish, say scientists who claim to have discovered how the muscles controlling the pelvic fins of the marine species have paved the way for the evolution of back legs in higher animals. The scientists studied primitive cartilaginous fish. Australia’s bamboo shark and its cousin, the elephant shark; and three bony fish: The Australian lungfish, the zebrafish and the American paddlefish. In fact, the scientists used the fish species living today to trace the evolution of pelvic fin muscles to find out how the load bearing hind limbs of the tetrapods evolved. To find differences in pelvic fin muscle formation, they compared embryos of the descendants of species representing key turning points in vertebrate evolution.The scientists genetically engineered fish to trace the migration of precursor muscle cells in early developmental stages as the animal’s body took shape. These cells in the engineered fish emitted red or green light. The team found that the bony fish had a different mechanism of pelvic fin muscle formation from that of the cartilaginous fish, a mechanism that was a stepping stone to the evolution of tetrapod physiology. Dengue Genes 'Discovered' Scientists identified two genes, which increase a person’s risk of getting dengue. Dengue is the most common mosquito-borne infection after malaria. It causes 100 million infections worldwide annually. For their research, the scientists conducted the first ever genomewide association study to compare genomes of children with severe dengue against population controls. Scientists found changes in the DNA code located in two genes; MICB on chromosome 6 and PLCE1 on chromosome10. This increases a person’s susceptibility to dengue shock syndrome. MICB plays a role in the human body’s immune system and any variation in this gene can affect the activation of natural killer cells or CD8T cells. These cells play a key role in combating viral infection. PLCE1 contribute to the normal functioning of the vascular endothelium, the thin layer of cells that lines interior surface of blood vessels with some variants of PLCE1 predisposing an individual to leakage from the blood vessels, the hallmark clinical feature of dengue shock syndrome. Initially, they compared 2008 patients against 2018 controls. They then replicated the findings in an independent follow-up sample of 1737 cases and 2934 controls, the latest edition of the Nature Genetics journal reported. World's First Drug that Could stop Cataract Blindness Australian Scientists created the world’s first drug which can prevent blindness from cataracts. At present, the only treatment available to prevent the blindness from cataracts is to remove surgically the affected eye lens and replace it with a synthetic lens. Cataracts are formed when a protein, known as calpain, clouds the eye lens and impairs vision. This is for the first time that a non-surgical cure for the debilitating condition was discovered. Black Death Bacteria Identified Scientists claimed to have reconstructed the genome of the bug that caused the bubonic plague (often referred as black death) in Europe. The bug was discovered to be an ancient strain of a bacterium called Yersinia pestis and not so much different from today’s. The discovery was made by scientists at McMaster University in Canada, the University of Tubingen in Germany. The study was published in the journal Nature on 12 October 2011. The Scientists collected the ancient Y.pestis DNA from 46 teeth and 53 bones excavated from the East Smithfield burial grounds in London. Researchers reconstructed the bacterium’s genome and made comparisons to the genomes of existing strains of Y.pestis. They determined that the bug hadn’t changed much in the more than 600 years since the plague swept Europe. The study will help researchers track bug’s evolution. It could improve scientists’ understanding of modern diseases as well. Bubonic plague still strikes somewhere between 1000 and 3000 people each year, according to the World Health Organization. It wiped out 30 million people in Europe (30 to 50 Percent of the population in Europe) between 1347 and 1351. Bubonic plague is a zoonotic disease, circulating mainly among small rodents and their fleas, and is one of three types of infections caused by Yersinia pestis (formerly known as Pasteurella pestis), which belongs to the family Enterobacteriaceae. World’s Biggest Virus Found A virus found in the sea off Chile is the biggest in the world, harbouring more than 1,000 genes, surprised scientists reported on October 10, 2011. The genome of Megavirus chilensis is 6.5 per cent bigger than the DNA code of the previous virus record-holder, Mimivirus, isolated in 2003. Viruses differ from bacteria in that they are usually far smaller and cannot reproduce on their own, needing to penetrate a host cell in which to replicate. But M. chilensis is such a giant that it surpasses many bacteria in size and is genetically the most complex DNA virus ever described. It was taken from sea water sample closed to the shore of Las Cruces, Chile. Its host organism is unknown. DNA viruses include pox viruses and herpes viruses, but M. chilensis “doesn’t seem to be harmful for humans,” said Jean- Michel Claverie, of France’s National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS). The study appeared in a U.S. journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). An App to Fight Crimes A phone tracks your appointments, email and even your mood. That is the usual stuff. Now, make your phone a crime-fighter too, installing the International Justice Mission’s free iPhone and smartphone application to fight human trafficking. Created with leading application development firm Brushfire Mobile, IJM Mobile is available on all smart phones and is optimised for iPhone, Android and Windows phones. This application works in 13 countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America to rescue victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression. This human rights agency believes that effective human trafficking prevention is possible only when society, as a whole, is aware of it and is empowered enough to take action against this. IJM Mobile was created to enable everyone to have the power to join the fight against human trafficking. A free application, it enables users to contribute to the global fight against slavery and violent oppression even if they are thousands of miles away, directly from your mobile device. H E M B O O K C E N T E R Near Library Building, JNU Campus, Mob.: 9810985436 Tiny Planet has Water Ice’ Astronomers have discovered a mysterious dwarf planet, which they believe is covered in ice and may sport the wispy remnants of an atmosphere. The planet, named “Snow White,” lies outside Neptune and is orbiting the sun as part of the Kuiper belt — the ring of icy bodies that orbit the sun beyond Neptune. Officially known as 2007 OR10, it is actually red. Half of its surface is covered by water ice that probably spewed from ancient cryovolcanoes, researchers said. It is believed that the planet’s reddish hue likely comes from a thin layer of methane, last gasps of an atmosphere that has been bleeding off into space for eons. “You get to see this nice picture of what once was an active little world with water volcanoes and an atmosphere, and it’s now just frozen, dead, with an atmosphere slowly slipping away,” lead scientist Mike Brown of California Institute of Technology said. Defunct Satellite Hits Earth A bus-sized defunct German satellite plunged to earth after languishing in dead orbit for more than a decade, but space officials are not sure if any of its debris has hit the planet. The 2.7-tonne Roentgen Satellite, or ROSAT, slammed into the earth’s atmosphere sometime between 01:45 GMT (6:15 IST) and 02:15 GMT (6:45 IST), but there is no information if its debris fell on the planet, the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) said in a statement. “There is currently no confirmation if pieces of debris had reached the earth’s surface,” the statement said. However, DLR spokesman Andreas Schuetz said they would have to “wait for data in the next days” to know when and where the debris fell or could fall. Scientists were no longer able to communicate with the dead satellite and it must have travelled some 20,000 km in the final 30 minutes before entering the atmosphere, he added. Microsoft Launches Windows Phone 7.5 in India Microsoft India launched its latest version of windows phone operating system in the country — the Windows Phone 7.5. “With Windows Phone, we have looked at the consumer experience in an absolutely fresh way. This operating system is stylish, innovative and one that seamlessly integrates the most sought after user experiences such as search, gaming, email and social networks across Bing, Office, Xbox, LIVE, Facebook, Twitter and more,” Microsoft India’s Chairman Bhaskar Pramanik said. “The conventional application icons have been replaced by Live Tiles on the start screen which comes to life with real-time updates from the web such as news, appointments or the status of friends,” he added. The firm also announced the launch of a smartphone in partnership with handset manufacturer HTC, named HTC Radar, which is based on the new operating system. Pramanik added that companies like Acer and Nokia would launch their handsets based on Windows Phone 7.5 in the Indian market. Samsung had launched its Omnia W smartphone in the country, which comes equipped with Windows Phone 7.5. The key features of the operating system are threads which enable users to switch between texts, Facebook chat and Windows Live messenger linked inbox wherein consumers can see multiple email accounts in one linked inbox. Built-in voiceto-text and text-to-voice support system also enables handsfree texting and chatting. Neuronal Connections with Stress Scientists for the first time discovered that neuronal connections grow excessively under stressful conditions as the brain ages. The finding could help scientists better understand neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. The scientists studied responses to stress in synapses in fruit flies. Synapses is a structure that allows a neuron to pass signal to another cell in the brain. The scientists discovered that under stressful conditions, like neuro-degeneration, which results in high-energy forms of damaging oxygen. This causes synapses to grow excessively and potentially contributing to dysfunction. The scientists made notes using a model of lysosomal storage disease, an inherited incurable childhood neurodegeneration where enlarged synapses were observed. However, the role that growth has in disease progression and brain function is not yet clear. Linking Genetic Changes to Human Diseases Becomes Easy The parts of the human genome that control when and where genes are turned on have been successfully identified. The map created with this information will be a shot in the arm for researchers trying to understand and interpret genetic changes linked to human diseases. This has become possible by comparing the sequences of 29 mammalian genomes. The genomes of mammals studied include those of chimpanzees, rhesus monkeys, mice, dogs, rabbits, rats, cats, squirrels, fruit bats, horses, cows, and even elephants. The results are published in Nature on October 13, 2011. All Type of Books and Magazines Available for Competition Exams CHANGE THE ONLY CONSTANT THING : We Bring You More Informative And Detailed Coverage Every Month 14
DECEMBER 2011 Navy Inducts Fleet Tanker INS Shakti The Indian Navy has commissioned the fourth fleet tanker INS Shakti into the fleet which has been constructed by Fincantieri Shipyard of Italy. INS Shakti will be a much needed boost for the Indian Navy as it will help them to chart beyond the limits of the Indian Ocean. INS Shakti has been fitted with an indigenous Anti Missile Defence Chaff System and has a powerful self defence capability. INS Shakti has been constructed by the Italian Shipyard in less than two years and is one the largest vessels with the Indian Navy. The ship is 175 metres in length and 32 metres wide with a full-load displacement of 27,500 tonne. Before the induction of INS Shakti, the Italian shipyard Fincantieri had delivered the first tanker INS Deepak earlier this year which has also been inducted into the Indian Navy. Both these fleet tankers will enable destroyers, frigates and other kinds of warships to operate for long durations on the waters without the need for returning to the harbor to replenish it. Hence, Indian Navy will extend its scope well beyond the Indian Ocean region. INS Shakti is equipped with four AK-630 guns each and it will have an endurance of 10,000 nautical miles at a speed of 16 knots. RADIANT DEFENCE COVERAGE MoD Launches Two e-Gov Projects The Ministry of Defence introduced two automation projects — Vishwak and Bhawan— as part of e-Governance initiative in its Defence Accounts Department. Launching the projects, the Defence Minister AK Antony said, “The Ministry has taken several initiatives to utilise information technology to the maximum extent. The launch of two IT projects ‘Vishwak’ and ‘Bhawan’ reflects the resolve to provide user friendly services to the client,” Under Project Vishwak, Defence construction accounts will be stored into a Centralised Data Base. This will provide for analysis and control over progress of works and Budget so as to ensure a better value for money. The Project links hundreds of Defence Accounts Offices across the country. Another project, Bhawan, is a multipurpose project. All transactions affecting Defence Revenues, like newly created accommodation, allotment, occupation, vacation, rent fixation and revision are taken on to this Centralised data base in the course of day-to-day functioning. Project Bhawan will lead to computerisation of assets of armed forces and the license fee will be recovered through a seamless integration with various Pay and Accounts offices of the armed forces. US AH-64D wins Indian Attack Chopper Deal while Mi-28N Loses The outcome of the tender for 22 attack helicopters for the Indian military has been revealed and the Russian Mi-28 N Night Hunter has lost out to the American AH-64D Apache helicopter. While the details of this outcome are yet to be revealed, it has been ascertained the Russian Mi-28 N did not meet several requirements posed by India in the tender. The attack helicopter acquisition would strengthen India’s homeland defence significantly and deter regional threat. Indian Defence Ministry will be handing out the over $ 600 million contract to the American Apache AH-64 D made by Boeing for the delivery of 22 attack helicopters. An optional delivery of additional 22 helicopters is also on the anvil. American AH- 64D Apache is one of the world’s most powerful combat helicopter and it would add more teeth to India’s military might. The Boeing Apache AH-64 D was placed above the Russian Mi-28 N in its staff evaluation report submitted to the Indian Ministry of Defence. Even the Indian Air Force (IAF) is said to have marked the Apache AH-64 D consistently over the Russian Mi-28 N contender in trials held mid-2010 at the desert and mountain air bases in India. The Apache-AH 64 D did have an upper hand since it was a matured and battle-proven heavy weight gunship. The Apache AH-64 D can fulfill some specific sniping purposes in air to ground warfare as well. Earlier this year, a notice issued by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) estimated that a direct commercial sale of 22 AH-64Ds, plus weapons, sensors, spares and training would cost about $1.4 billion. This would include 50 General Electric T700-701D engines, over 1,350 Lockheed Martin AGM- 114 Hellfire missiles, 245 Raytheon Stinger missiles, 12 Lockheed/ Northrop Grumman APG-78 fire control radars and 23 Lockheed modernised target acquisition designation sight/pilot night vision sensors. As for Russia it is still taking part in two other Indian helicopter tenders, namely the 12 heavy transport helicopters and 197 light general-purpose helicopters. The first tender includes the Russian Mi-26T2 and the American CH-47F Chinook helicopters, while the second involves the Russian Ka-226T and the AS550 Fennec helicopter developed by Eurocopter. Meanwhile, Russia continues the deliveries of Mi-17-B5 transport helicopters to India under a 2008 contract for the supply of 80 helicopters worth $1.4 billion. The Indian Defence Ministry plans to buy several new helicopters and a more tenders are on its way. One of the upcoming major tender is for the delivery of multipurpose helicopters for the Indian Navy. According to estimates, India will assign some 700 new helicopters to the armed forces in the coming decade. India Signs Rs 300 Cr Deal with Sri Lankan Firm India signed a deal with a Sri Lankan firm worth over 300 crore rupees to procure 80 fast-interception craft (FIC). These FICs will equip Navy’s Sagar Prahari Bal, SPB, which is being raised after the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai. The boats are to be delivered in the next three years. FICs are small boats, with a crew of five to seven sailors at top speeds of 40 to 50 knots, and are equipped with light machine guns. These 80 FICs will be in addition to the 15 similar boats being acquired from French shipyard Chantier Naval Couach, three of which have already been inducted at Mumbai. After 26 / 11, several steps have been taken to boost coordination in intelligence-sharing and operational matters, with fullynetworked joint operation centres being set up in different locations. With 1,000 well-armed personnel, the SPB will be tasked with the protection of naval and other assets, bases and harbours on both west and east coasts. India to Test 5000 Km Range Agni-V Ballistic Missile in February 2012 After having successfully conducted three missile tests recently, state-owned Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) has revealed that India’s nuclear capable ballistic missile Agni-V will be ready for demonstration in February 2012. According to DRDO Chief Controller (R&D) W Selvamurthy, the Agni-V missile with 5,000 kilometer capacity is an upgraded version of Agni-III which has been handed over to the Indian Army. According to DRDO, the Agni-V ballistic missile will greatly enhance India’s nuclear capabilities. Agni-V missile is a threestage solid propellant ballistic missile which has second-strike capabilities. DRDO officials indicated that they have tested the three stages of Agni-V independently and all ground tests are complete. Currently, the integration process is in progress and the Agni-V will be demonstrated in February 2012. The Agni-V missile has a height of about 17.5 metres and a launch mass of around 50 tonne and will have advanced technologies involving ring laser gyroscope and accelerometer for navigation and guidance. The three stage ballistic missile takes its first stage from Agni-III, with a new modified all composite second stage and a miniaturized third stage to ensure it can fly to distances of 5,000 kilometres. Unlike the earlier versions of the Agni missile, the Agni-V missile can be easily stored and swiftly transported by road since it’s a canister-launch missile system. Agni-V would also carry multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles (MIRV) payloads also being developed simultaneously which will enable the delivery multiple warheads at different targets. CHANGE THE ONLY CONSTANT THING : We Bring You More Informative And Detailed Coverage Every Month 15
Page 1 and 2: DECEMBER 2011 Minimum Vote Limit In
Page 3 and 4: DECEMBER 2011 Recognition of partie
Page 5 and 6: DECEMBER 2011 Govt Committed to Rec
Page 7 and 8: DECEMBER 2011 India Drafts National
Page 9 and 10: DECEMBER 2011 World's Highest Webca
Page 11: DECEMBER 2011 Scientists Make Disco
Page 15 and 16: DECEMBER 2011 ADB Approves $200m Lo
Page 17 and 18: DECEMBER 2011 WOMEN & CHILDREN COVE
Page 19 and 20: DECEMBER 2011 Chola MS Launches New
Page 21 and 22: DECEMBER 2011 Syria: Russia and Chi
Page 23 and 24: DECEMBER 2011 Nepal PM Baburam Bhat
Page 25 and 26: DECEMBER 2011 Bhanwari Devi Missing
Page 27 and 28: DECEMBER 2011 PERSON IN NEWS Ukrain
Page 29 and 30: DECEMBER 2011 PERSON ON VISIT Afgha
Page 31 and 32: DECEMBER 2011 CURENT COVERAGE MCQs
Page 33 and 34: DECEMBER 2011 SPECIAL COVERAGE: BAS
Page 35 and 36: DECEMBER 2011 SITE-TO-SITE BACKUP:
Page 37 and 38: DECEMBER 2011 Hi5: Hi5 is a social
Page 39 and 40: DECEMBER 2011 UPSTREAM: In computer
Page 41 and 42: DECEMBER 2011 3. The Truth About th
Page 43 and 44: DECEMBER 2011 6. Reinventing Mobili
Page 45 and 46: DECEMBER 2011 KSG CHANGE THE ONLY C

KAMLA NAGAR, DELHI - 110007 ANIMATION | VFX tel. - CHANGE

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?