Study on mobile radiation begins

DurgeshNandan Jha

New Delhi





AIIMS, IIT-D Among 17 Top Bodies Asked By Centre To Probe Its Health Impact

At least 17 top scientific institutions in the country, including AIIMS and IIT Delhi, have been commissioned by the Union government to address concerns about radiation emitted from mobile phones and phone towers causing illnesses.Sources said funds ranging from Rs 22 lakh to Rs 2 crore, as demanded, have already been allocated for the research by the department of science and technology .
TOI spoke to officials who said the move is aimed to review different aspects of the health impact at the earliest so that action or remedial measures can be taken to save peo ple from potential consequences. The Indian Council of Medical Research is also conducting a study but that is a prospective one and may take longer, said an official.
“The projects awarded to the 17 institutions are to be completed in a maximum of 36 months while the minimum time period is 18 months,“ a senior official said. He added that local-level research is needed as those conducted abroad may not determine the effect on Indians due to varying climates.
In 2011, an inter-ministerial committee had said mobile phone towers should not be installed near high-density residential areas, schools, playgrounds and hospitals after reviewing then available research some of which held that radiation from mobile phones and towers posed serious health risks, including loss of memory , lack of concentration, disturbance in the digestive system and sleep disturbances.The committee pointed to research which claimed that dis appearance of butterflies, bees, insects and sparrows from big cities had been due to radiation from mobile phone towers.
The World Health Organization also labelled exposure to radiation emitted from cellphones as “possibly carcino genic to humans“. However, cellphone operators have been resisting curbs on installing towers saying there is still no evidence on the cause-and-effect relationship between the exposure and health hazard, a fact conceded by many senior scientists.
There is fear among the public who blame exposure to radiation for rising incidence of cancer. Recently , residents in some parts of Noida snapped off power connection to some mobile phone towers. Connectivity was badly affected. “If cellphone towers are targeted without evidence, it will hamper business as well as lead to public inconvenience. We must wait for results of the study before coming to any conclusion,“ said a cellular operator.

IIT-BOMBAY M.PHIL. IN PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT: ADMISSION FOR 2015-16 BATCH 

Offered by: The Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay (IIT-B), Mumbai.

M.Phil. programme in Planning and Development: The M.Phil. Programme with specialization in Planning and Development is a 4 - semester interdisciplinary course, was launched in July 1993. The programme with a theoretical-practical thrust provides the students with a holistic understanding of socio-economic reality and the impact of technology. It also acquaints them with the various stages and levels of expertise involved in the formulation and implementation of development policies that can bring about a sustainable, stable, and desirable development. With such training which includes coursework, thesis writing and field trip, it is expected that the students coming out of this programme will be able to help steer the national, state and regional planning and developmental processes. There is a paucity of such personnel in India at present and I.I.T. Bombay is the first to start such a programme. There are about 10-12 students pursuing the M.Phil. programme every year.

Eligibility and Selection Procedure: Admission to this programme is open to those who qualify in MET/GATE/UGC-JRF/UGC-LECTURERSHIP. Master's Degree in Arts, Commerce (with 55% marks), or M.Sc., B.Tech (with 60% marks with adequate background in Social Sciences) is essential. Those appearing for the above exams may also apply. Those who are in service can apply as sponsored candidates. The selection will be based on the qualifying test and interview.

The programme aims to educate and train personnel in various aspects of Development Policy in the Indian Context. The Programme is interdisciplinary with a theoretic-practical thrust, and is not in an area offered by the universities. The students will be trained to help steer the national, state and regional plans.

Social reality and development are complex phenomenon. They can be understood in their entirety only by adopting the multidisciplinary approach. A holistic understanding of socio-economic reality and of the various stages and levels of expertise involve d in the information and implementation of development policies can bring about a sustainable, stable, and desirable development. There is a paucity of such personnel in India at present. It is in this context that the HSS Department has launched its multidisciplinary M.Phil. programme.

Programme duration: The duration of the programme is four semesters.

Semester 1: 4 courses + Seminar I

Semester 2: 3 courses + First stage of Dissertation

Semester 3: 1 course + R & D Project

Semester 4: Second and Third stages of dissertation

Click here, For more Detail.
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Mar 24 2015 : The Economic Times (Delhi) Vedanta - You're What You Think ANUP TANEJA   Every masterpiece in the making requires a lot of effort.However, in some cases, despite sincere efforts, the art simply remains art; it does not become a masterpiece. This can lead to frustration, low self-esteem and reduced self-confidence. The path to achievement is never easy . Every task or goal has its unique challenges and roadblocks.Why do negative thoughts hold sway at times? Perhaps because uncontrolled thoughts render the mind weak. If you carefully observe your thought patterns, you will find that many thoughts are inconsistent. The mind wanders at random aimlessly . There will be some thoughts of household issues, some thoughts of bank balance, of eating and drinking, of going to a mo vie, and so many others. When you are absorbed in studying a book at 7:00 p.m., the expectation of pleasure of watching a cricket match on television at 8:00 p.m. distracts you every now and then. When it is time to meditate, one thinks instead of sleep. You have within you the power to accomplish everything you want; that power lies in the will. Dispassionately analysing our thought patterns for at least 15 minutes daily , preferably early in the morning, could help us focus better. Introspection will tell us that each of our habits creates a specific `groove' in the brain, and that these patterns make us behave in a certain way , often against our wish. However, through the practice of concentration and meditation, we can neuter bad habits by creating more thought patterns of good habits.

PIO students steal the show at US science fair

Chidanand Rajghatta

Washington:





President Obama on Monday recognized immigrants' contribution that has enabled continued US dominance in science and technology , while specifically calling out Indian-American students during a White House science fair.At least five of the 30 projects selected nationwide for the annual White House science fair this week were from students of Indian-origin.Their high visibility and immediate relevance appeared to strike a chord with the US President as he gave a shout out to Anvita Gupta, Ruchi Pandya, and Nikhil Behari, after examining their projects and questioning them closely. “Their parents came here as immigrants and we are glad they did,“ Obama re marked at a time Washington is trying to craft immigration policies to attract and retain the best and the brightest among potential immigrants while keeping out those it feels will simply take away American jobs and undermine the US economy .
Obama was particularly impressed by the project of Nikhil Behari, a Pennsylvania high-schooler whose father is a well-known physician in Pittsburgh.
Having heard about data breaches at retail chains, Behari created a security system that uses people's distinctive typing speed and style as a means of secondary authentication for safer passwords. He connected sensors to a microprocessor he had programmed to detect keystroke pressure, and used a separate programme to measure action and pause-time as users type. By analyzing data from these devices, Nikhil discovered that keystroke-based authentication is a potentially powerful technique for distinguishing and authenticating individuals.
His invention won a second place at the 2014 Broadcom MASTERS national finals, and even President Obama was visibly impressed by the technology.
Ironically, his administration has been under scrutiny for privacy violations. Oba ma was also impressed by the work of San Jose high-schooler Ruchi Pandya, who combined nanotechnology , biology and electrochemistry to devise a method to test specific cardiac biomarkers with a single drop of blood. Again, given his enormous interest in healthcare costs, Obama spend considerable time on her project.
The US President also gave a shout-out during his speech to Arizona teenager Anvita Gupta who used machine learning to “teach“ a computer to identify potential new drugs for cancer, tuberculosis, and Ebola. For the full report, log on to http:www.timesofindia.com

Reviving Agriculture





It needs a boost in the form of public investment in irrigation and access to technology

PM Modi devoted an entire episode of his Mann ki Baat radio talk show to rural issues. He was sympathetic to the plight of farmers buffeted by adverse weather conditions and promised to craft supportive policies. He needs to design them immediately as Indian agricultural sector has entered a challenging phase and the thrust of government policies needs to be oriented towards enhancing investment in irrigation infrastructure. This, in turn, has to be supplemented by smarter outreach to introduce better technology.These measures are essential to build a robust farm sector.Three overarching themes defined Indian agriculture over the last decade. Agricultural markets remained fragmented even as attempts were made to integrate markets for goods and services. Individual farmers increased investment in irrigation and labour saving devices.
Simultaneously, they also increased cropping intensity. Investments paid off as the 2007-12 period was a productive one for agriculture. However, from a national standpoint, government did not do enough to complement private investment in agriculture, particularly in irrigation. The economies of scale that come out of public investment in irrigation serve to both boost production and partially mitigate the investment risks of farmers.
Instead of public investment, policy was oriented towards enhancing spending in subsidies riding on inefficient delivery mechanisms, which left farmers vulnerable to calamities.
Constitutional design gives state governments a primary role in agriculture, which puts them at the heart of reforms. NDA government hopes to integrate India's agricultural market, which is carved up into 2,477 markets under the ambit of different Agricultural Produce Market Committees (APMCs). Earlier attempts at reducing the monopoly rights APMCs have on first sale of commodities have been disappointing.Political will is needed on the part of both NDA and state governments to dismantle this entrenched monopoly and make it compete with other players such as big retailers. Integrating fragmented agricultural markets gives farmers a better deal and also helps urban consumers who suffer frequent price spikes on account of local shortages.
Eventually, better infrastructure and technology diffusion are key to improving agricultural production. NDA needs to lead the way by reorienting its spending priorities and helping states with their outreach.India's farm yields need to improve and an irrational fear of genetic engineering hampers farmers. They too should have the option to dip into the benefits of technological progress. Modi needs to get cracking.

Debate over UGC courses

The University Grants Commission issued a notification to universities and institutions to refrain from offering programmes, including engineering courses through open and distance learning mode.

According to the notification, no university/institution or deemed to be university/institution should offer diploma, bachelor’s or master’s level programme in engineering and technology, other than MBA and MCA, till the finalisation of UGC (Open and Distance Learning) Regulations 2014. Any violation could invite action.

The UGC has included programmes such as BE/B Tech, diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate courses in architecture; town planning; pharmacy; hotel management and catering technology; applied arts and crafts; and PG Diploma in management.

If an institution has the approval of the joint committee of the erstwhile Distance Education Council and the UGC and the recognition status is notified on the All India Council for Technical Education website, it can offer MBA and MCA programmes.

Anna University offers M Sc in Free and Open Source Software and M Sc Information Technology. SN Geetha, Distance Education Director says the institution admits students only in Chennai and not even in its constituent colleges. “We conduct M Sc in Computer Science as we have a full-fledged lab. The answer papers are evaluated by the University’s Controller of Examination,” she says.

State government universities abide by the norms by and large, but some institutions subvert the rules in innovative ways, says C. Pichaandy, vice-president of Association of University Teachers. Pointing out that Bharathiar University offers a course in Catering Science as opposed to Catering Technology, he says that the university has set up centres abroad, which is beyond its jurisdiction, and has also appointed an official agent.

C Subramanian, associate professor in Department of Political Science, Distance Education, Annamalai University, however, argues that universities should be allowed to run such programmes. With around 170 study centres across the country, the university set the trend before even the IGNOU and the Distance Education Council were established.

“If the Commission makes an adverse decision regarding study centres, it will affect the employees of our university. We have given a representation to the UGC vice-chairman H. Devaraj regarding this. We are almost a government university now and follow the norms. The government is inviting foreign universities to run programmes, but does not allow State and Central universities to offer such programmes,” he regrets.

Politics and religious ideology should not intrude into science'

Science is about investigation based on facts and experiments", says Dr. Venki Ramakrishnan, President Elect of the Royal Society

“There is no room for political, personal or religious ideologies in science,” Dr. Venki Ramakrishnan, President Elect of the Royal Society, told The Hindu.“Science is about investigation based on facts and experiments. Above all, it should be a meritocracy, and that is very important to foster good science in India."

Articulating some of his concerns about the future of science in India, the Nobel Laureate said that that above all science needs stable funding and scientists need to be properly remunerated. “They are choosing a life of scholarship which involves a lot of hard work, and it is only right that you reward these very bright people with at least a decent and stable life,” he said.

“I heard that some nonsense was spouted at the Indian Science Congress by people who are ideologically driven,” he said. “What was astonishing to me is that the Indian science establishment did not speak out instantly and strongly about it. That needs to happen. I don’t have a problem with any government, including the current one. However, governments and scientists in India need to ensure that politics and religious ideology do not intrude into science. They belong to separate spheres and if they are not kept separate, it is science in India and the country as a whole that will suffer.”

Dr. Ramakrishnan identified the National Centre of Biological Science in Bangalore, the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, and IISER, Pune, as “positive examples” of how science is being done in India today. He had special words of praise for the NCBS for its high standards of science and encouragement of young scientists, attributing these features to the leadership traditions set by its visionary Founder Director and eminent scientist, Obaid Siddiqui. This continued under K. VijayRaghavan (who subsequently left to become Director of Department of Bio-technology), and by the present Director, Satyajit Mayor. The IISc, he added, “also has a long democratic tradition of doing science.”

Dr. Ramakrishnan called upon scientists and governments to consult with each other over how best to establish priority areas in science and spending levels, but then leave it to scientific experts on how to implement these decisions without further interference.

Keywords: Royal Society President, Venki Ramakrishnan, science and religion, Nobel Laureate, India-born scientist