Technology

Answer : (a) Bio-bank imaging project: The UK has launched world’s biggest scanning project-UK Bio-bank imaging study in which 100,000 British volunteers are participating to undergo a detailed imaging of their brain, heart and vital organs to help researchers study a wide range of common, chronic and life-threatening illnesses like diabetes, cancer and heart disease. DNA has been collected from all the volunteers who will be compared and cross-referenced with the scans.

The significance of this study lies in its huge size and the methodology being used to study wide range of health conditions in humans. The study will enrich the doctors and scientists with unprecedented level of information on wide range of illnesses, including dementia, heart disease, cancer, arthritis, depression and eye and lung disorders over many years. The aim is to try to improve the diagnosis and treatment of these diseases. It will help in scientists understand why one person gets a disease and another does not.

(b) GSLV Mark-3: The GSLV-III or Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III, is a launch vehicle currently under development by the Indian Space Research Organization. GSLV Mk III is conceived and designed to make ISRO fully self-reliant in launching heavier communication satellites of INSAT-4 class, which weigh 4500 to 5000 kg. It would also enhance the capability of the country to be a competitive player in the multimillion dollar commercial launch market. The vehicle envisages multi-mission launch capability for GTO, LEO, Polar and intermediate circular orbits.

GSLV-Mk III is designed to be a three stage vehicle, with 42.4 m tall with a lift off weight of 630 tonnes. First stage comprises two identical S200 Large Solid Booster (LSB) with 200 tonnes solid propellant that are strapped on to the second stage, the L110 re-startable liquid stage. The third stage is the C25 LOX/LH2 cryo stage. The large payload fairing measures 5 m in diameter and can accommodate a payload volume of 100 cu m. Realisation of GSLV Mk-III will help ISRO to put heavier satellites into orbit.

(c) LED: A light-emitting diode (LED) is a two-lead semiconductor light source. It is a basic pn-junction diode, which emits light when activated. When a fitting voltage is applied to the leads, electrons are able to recombine with electron holes within the device, releasing energy in the form of photons. This effect is called electroluminescence, and the color of the light (corresponding to the energy of the photon) is determined by the energy band gap of the semiconductor.

An LED is often small in area (less than 1 mm2) and integrated optical components may be used to shape its radiation pattern. Appearing as practical electronic components in 1962 the earliest LEDs emitted low-intensity infrared light. Infrared LEDs are still frequently used as transmitting elements in remote-control circuits, such as those in remote controls for a wide variety of consumer electronics. The first visible-light LEDs were also of low intensity, and limited to red. Modern LEDs are available across the visible, ultraviolet, and infrared wavelengths, with very high brightness.

d) KIRAN: The Union Ministry of Science & Technology announced KIRAN (Knowledge, Involvement, Research, Advancement through Nurturing) for women scientists – A unique advertising scheme to bring about, as far as possible, gender equality in the field of science and technology.

Objectives:-

1. To increase the number of women researchers in India.
2. Provide Research grants particularly to those female researchers and technologists who had to take a break in career owing to household reasons.
3. Bring about, as far as achievable, gender parity in the field of science and technology.

The scholarships will be provided fewer than three categories-

1. For those women linked in research work in basic or applied sciences with any central or state level organization or university.
2. For those women scientists involved in research and application of innovative solutions for several social problems.
3. For those researchers who are self-employed.

Under the scheme, the Union Ministry of Science & Technology will build leadership positions for women. Such a scheme would be beneficial for women who face unavoidable interruptions in their careers owing to numerous reasons.

Answer : (a) IRNSS: Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) is an independent regional navigation satellite system being developed by India. It is designed to provide accurate position information service to users in India as well as the region extending up to 1500 km from its boundary, which is its primary service area. The Extended Service Area lies between primary service area and area enclosed by the rectangle from Latitude 30° south to 50 degree North, Longitude 30° east to 130° east.

• IRNSS will provide two types of services, namely, Standard Positioning Service (SPS) which is provided to all the users and Restricted Service (RS), which is an encrypted service provided only to the authorised users. The IRNSS System is expected to provide a position accuracy of better than 20 m in the primary service area.
• IRNSS comprises of a space segment and a ground segment. The IRNSS space segment consists of seven satellites, with three satellites in geostationary orbit and four satellites in inclined geosynchronous orbit. IRNSS-1A, the first satellite of the IRNSS constellation, has already started functioning from its designated orbital slot after extensive on orbit test and evaluation to confirm its satisfactory performance. IRNSS ground segment is responsible for navigation parameter generation and transmission, satellite control, ranging and integrity monitoring and time keeping.

Applications of IRNSS

• Terrestrial, Aerial and Marine Navigation
• Disaster Management
• Vehicle tracking and fleet management
• Integration with mobile phones
• Precise Timing
• Mapping and Geodetic data capture
• Terrestrial navigation aid for hikers and travellers
• Visual and voice navigation for drivers

(b) RTS, S: RTS, S or Mosquirix is an experimental recombinant protein-based vaccine for malaria. The RTS, S vaccine was engineered using genes from the repeat and T-cell epitope in the circumsporozoite protein (CSP) of Plasmodium falciparum malaria parasite and a viral envelope protein of the hepatitis B virus (HBsAg) and a chemical adjuvant to boost the immune system response. Infection is prevented by inducing high antibody titers that block the parasite from infecting the liver.

• The RTS, S-based vaccine formulation had previously been demonstrated to be safe, well tolerated, immunogenic, and to potentially confer partial efficacy in both malaria-naive and-experienced adults as well as children, further research was considered necessary to improve the effectiveness of the vaccine.
• Findings from a Phase III trial of RTS, S reported that it provided modest protection against both clinical and severe malaria in young infants. The new vaccine has the backing of the UN’s Swiss-based WHO which states that it will recommend the use of RTS,S for use starting in 2015, providing it gets approval.

(c) Rosetta: Rosetta is a spacecraft on a ten-year mission to catch the comet “67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko” (C-G) and answer some of our questions about comets. Rosetta will be the first spacecraft to soft-land a robot on a comet! Rosetta will also be the first spacecraft to accompany a comet as it enters our inner solar system, observing at close range how the comet changes as the Sun’s heat transforms it into the luminous apparition that has frightened and inspired people for centuries.

• The international mission is spearheaded by the European Space Agency (ESA), with key support and instruments from NASA. NASA contributed three of the orbiter’s instruments (ALICE, MIRO, and IES) and part of the electronics package for the Double Focusing Mass Spectrometer-one of two detectors on the Swiss ROSINA instrument. NASA is also providing science investigators for selected non-U.S. instruments. In all, NASA is involved to a greater or lesser degree in Alice, MIRO, IES, OSIRIS, Radio Science, ROSINA, and VIRTIS experiments. NASA’s Deep Space Network provides support for ESA’s Ground Station Network for spacecraft tracking and navigation.

(d)Project Loon: Project Loon is a research and development project being developed by Google with the mission of providing Internet access to rural and remote areas. The project uses high-altitude balloons placed in the stratosphere at an altitude of about 32 km (20 mi) to create an aerial wireless network with up to 3G-like speeds. Because of the project’s seemingly outlandish mission goals, Google dubbed it “Project Loon”, as a pun on loon and balloon.

• The balloons are maneuvered by adjusting their altitude to float to a wind layer after identifying the wind layer with the desired speed and direction using wind data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Users of the service connect to the balloon network using a special Internet antenna attached to their building. The signal travels through the balloon network from balloon to balloon, then to a ground-based station connected to an Internet service provider (ISP), then onto the global Internet. The system aims to bring Internet access to remote and rural areas poorly served by existing provisions, and to improve communication during natural disasters to affected regions.

Answer : A cryogenic rocket engine is a rocket engine that uses a cryogenic fuel or oxidizer, that is, its fuel or oxidizer (or both) is gases liquefied and stored at very low temperatures. The cryogenic stage is technically a very complex system, compared to solid or earth-storable liquid propellant stages/engine due to the use of propellants at extremely low temperatures and the associated thermal and structural problems.

• Cryogenic engines are needed to carry heavy payloads of up to five tonnes to geosynchronous transfer orbit-crucial for future tele-communication and space exploration–as against the 1.5 tonnes payload capacity of the PSLVs.
• The cryogenic technology is closely guarded by the countries that currently have it-USA, Russia, Europe, Japan and China. While Russia did come close to transferring the technology to India, it backtracked later albeit under pressure from Washington. Given our ever-growing need for bigger and better satellites, India was left with no choice but to go for indigenous development of cryogenic engines.
• Scientists and engineers at ISRO’s Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) at Mahendragiri, near Nagercoil in Tamil Nadu, took up the challenge and built India’s own cryogenic engine. Three years of research and development-after the India-made cryogenic stage failed in April 2010–included making changes in its design and putting it through extensive tests.
• Countries like China, which have mastered the cryogenic technology, are looking at the capability of carrying up to nine tonne and trying to build further. Going forward, ISRO can go for higher capabilities, which it proved from PSLV, which started as less than one tonne and now it can take up to around 2-2.5 tonnes.
• Cryogenic rocket engine technology will enable Indian rockets to carry heavy satellites into the space. From the business perspective, this will not only save a huge amount of foreign exchange, it will also bring more money into India as it has opened a $4 billion global satellite launch services market for ISRO.
• The technology is a stepping stone for India’s ambitions to develop larger launchers to haul heftier payloads to Earth’s orbit and toward interplanetary destinations.

Answer : (a) Digital Cloud: Digital Cloud or Cloud computing is computing in which large groups of remote servers are networked to allow centralized data storage and online access to computer services or resources. Clouds can be classified as public, private or hybrid. Cloud computing relies on sharing of resources to achieve coherence and economies of scale, similar to a utility (like the electricity grid) over a network. At the foundation of cloud computing is the broader concept of converged infrastructure and shared services.

• Cloud computing, or in simpler shorthand just “the cloud”, also focuses on maximizing the effectiveness of the shared resources. Cloud resources are usually not only shared by multiple users but are also dynamically reallocated per demand. This can work for allocating resources to users. For example, a cloud computer facility that serves European users during European business hours with a specific application (e.g., email) may reallocate the same resources to serve North American users during North America’s business hours with a different application (e.g., a web server). This approach should maximize the use of computing power thus reducing environmental damage as well since less power, air conditioning, rackspace, etc. are required for a variety of functions. With cloud computing, multiple users can access a single server to retrieve and update their data without purchasing licenses for different applications.

(b) Dot Bharat: With the launch of Dot Bharat individuals of companies who are interested in owning a website with domain name in Hindi, Boro, Dogri, Konkani, Maithili, Marathi, Nepali, and Sindhi-Devanagari languages would be able to book the name in Devanagari script.

• The name would have ‘.bharat’ in devanagari script instead of commonly top level domains such as .com or .net. India already has .in TLD, but that’s for website names in the Roman (Latin) script used by languages such as English.
• The National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI), an autonomous non-profit organisation, is responsible for peering of ISPs and routing the domestic traffic within the country. The NIXI and the government’s Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) have worked on enabling this country code top level domain (ccTLD) of dot bharat.

(c) The Green Bus Project: India launched “The Green Bus project” in Nagpur with the launch of its first ethanol-run, environment-friendly public bus. The bus will emit carbon dioxide as low as 15% to 90% and its emissions will be monitored by the Union government, Maharashtra state government and Nagpur Municipal Corporation.

• The buses are manufactured by Swedish company Scania Commercial Vehicle India Ltd. Scania has additionally introduced an engine in consonance with Bharat Stage 5 Norms, a step toward further reducing the emissions.

(d) Ebola Virus: Ebola virus (EBOV, formerly designated Zaire Ebola virus) is one of five known viruses within the genus Ebola virus. Four of the five known Ebola viruses including EBOV cause a severe and often fatal hemorrhagic fever in humans and other mammals, known as Ebola virus disease (EVD). Ebola virus has caused the majority of human deaths from EVD, and is the cause of the 2013–2014 Ebola virus epidemics in West Africa.

• The EBOV genome is a single-stranded RNA approximately 19,000 nucleotides long. It encodes seven structural proteins: nucleoprotein (NP), polymerase cofactor (VP35), (VP40), GP, transcription activator (VP30), VP24, and RNA polymerase (L).

Answer : Graphene is a single, tightly packed layer of carbon atoms that are bonded together in a repeating pattern of hexagons. It is the thinnest compound, the lightest material known, the strongest compound discovered, the best conductor of heat at room temperature and also the best conductor of electricity known.

Some of the biggest emerging applications are:

1. Solar cells: With Graphene less light energy is needed to get the electrons to jump between layers, which could give rise to very efficient solar cells. Using graphene would also allow cells that are hundreds of thousands of times thinner and lighter than those that rely on silicon.
2. Transistors: Computer chips rely on billions of transistors to control the flow of electricity in their circuits. As science approaches the limit for how small transistors can be, graphene could push the limit back by both moving electrons faster and reducing their size to a few atoms or less.
3. Transparent screens: Devices such as plasma TVs and phones are commonly coated with a material called indium tin oxide. Manufacturers are actively seeking alternatives that could cut costs and provide better conductivity, flexibility and transparency. Graphene is an emerging option. It is non-reflective and appears very transparent. Its conductivity also qualifies it as a coating to create touchscreen devices. Because graphene is both strong and thin, it can bend without breaking, making it a good match for the bendable electronics that will soon hit the market.

Graphene could also have applications for camera sensors, DNA sequencing, gas sensing, material strengthening, water desalination, and beyond.

Challenges: Graphene is still in an infantile stage compared to developed materials like silicon and ITO. In order for it to be widely adopted, it will need to be produceable in large quantities at costs equal to or lower than existing materials. Researchers will also need to continue to work at improving graphene's transparency and conductivity in its commercial form.

While graphene shows promise for transistors, it has a major problem that it can't switch the flow of electricity "off" like materials such as silicon, which means the electricity will flow constantly. That means graphene can't serve as a transistor on its own. Researchers are now exploring ways to adjust it and combine it with other materials to overcome this limitation.

Graphene may also be emerging too late for many of its possible applications. Graphene will remain more expensive for the time being, and may never be inexpensive enough to convince manufacturers to switch from inexpensive materials like carbon and graphite.

The world is only a decade into exploring what it can do with graphene. In contrast, silicon has been around for nearly 200 years. At the pace research is moving, we could know very soon if graphene will become ubiquitous or just another step in discovering the next wonder material.

Answer : Fishing in India has been a traditional occupation and India has many communities of fishermen. Millions of fishermen along its 8000 km coastline have been dependent on the trade for centuries now. Any policy introduced has to preserve the livelihood, protect the depleting marine resources as well as bring revenues to our fledgling economy. In this light, recommendations by Meena Kumari Committee have to be modified considering the livelihood concern of fishermen.

Problems of Indian Fishing Industry

• Loss of bio-diversity
• Depletion of fish stocks
• Adverse impact of climate change along with shoreline degradation and loss of coral reefs and the prospect of a rise even one degree in sea surface temperature will have a devastating impact
• Most of the resources are caught by using semi-mechanized boats which are operated by small scale industries.
• Intensive overexploitation of marine resources up to 200 meters coast line has depleted the future potential.
• At the same time beyond this 200 mts region, our fishing resources are under-exploited.
• High value fish like tuna are not caught here, adjoining countries like Thailand, Sri-lanka have benefitted.

Significance of fishing sector: Besides being a major source of revenue, fisheries sector is increasingly contributing to nutritional security of the country.

Some Facts

• India is the world's third largest producer of fish and next only to China in the area under fish production
• Fish production in India has increased more than tenfold since its independence in 1947.
• According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, fish output in India doubled between 1990 and 2010
• India has 8,118 kilometers of marine coastline,
• India's fresh water resources consist of 195,210 kilometers of rivers and canals, 2.9 million hectares of minor and major reservoirs, 2.4 million hectares of ponds and lakes, and about 0.8 million hectares of flood plain wetlands and water bodies
• Fishing is $5 Billion industry in India
• India has several specialized institutes that trains fishermen

Suggestions: Following strategies can be followed for sustaining the current rate growth and preparing for the future:

• Adopting responsible and sustainable fishery practices
• Establishing agro-aqua farms, aqua shops and fishery estates
• Spreading fish quality literacy among fishermen (for improving quality which has been a cause for worry in the context of discovery of antibiotic residues in Indian fisheries stocks) and developing facilities for fish landing and handling at harvest and post-harvest stages.

Meena Kumari committee has rightly recommended that introduction of fully mechanised commercial boats and a foreign vessel is required to facilitate "Blue revolution". The committee also recommended that as region up to 200 mts has been fully exploited, the next 500 mts of our ESZ to be declared as a buffer zone for breeding. This will be beneficial to large scale commercial operators who fish in far seas, revenue will improve for our country but small fishing Industries will lose as the region mentioned is next frontier of growth for them.

• The new fishing policy appears as a progressive step because:
• It promotes the import of foreign technologies
• Increases foreign investments
• Will increase the revenue and the production of fisheries in India which is below optimal level at present
• Will lead to development of backward and forward linkages, cold storages and supply chain

However, following are the issues:

• EEZ: Guidelines permit deep sea fishing with LoP (letter of permission) from the centre. Problem: 10 coastal states had opposed this.
• Joint Ventures: Big vessels with a length 15 metre or more that can be owned or acquired by Indian entrepreneurs of the country. Joint ventures with up to 49 per cent foreign investments are allowed to apply for permission. Problem: Will affect livelihood of fishermen as they use motorised or mechanized boats and are below 15mts.
• Environmental Hazard: Foreign and commercial interests in deep seas will lead to indiscriminate fishing and hazard to marine resources.
• Contradicts Report of Murari Committee, which had opposed issuance of further licences to foreign fishing vessels.
• Further, these big vessels are permitted to export their catch from the sea itself without making a landing on the shore.
• Fisher communities not consulted.

Conclusion

• Though India needs a "blue revolution" and modern technology, it should not come at the cost of livelihood of the traditional fishermen. A more comprehensive approach including all stakeholders and technological innovation at the grassroots levels is needed. Government has to provide credit facilities for upgradation of fishing vessels, skill development opportunities so that traditional fishermen can gain employment in large fishing organizations and ensure that buffer-zone which is acceptable to all is demarcated to preserve marine resources. Promise of higher revenues shouldn't drive our policies when livelihoods are at stake.

Answer : Significance of the INO

Firstly, with this India will join the league of countries working on neutrinos that includes USA, Russia, France, Italy, China, Japan and South Korea

Secondly, India will become a key player in the global efforts in neutrino sciences

Significance of Neutrinos: Neutrinos are very important for our scientific progress and technological growth for three reasons:

1. First, they are abundant.
2. Second, they have very feeble mass and no charge and hence can travel through planets, stars, rocks and human bodies without any interaction. In fact, a beam of trillions of neutrinos can travel thousands of kilometers through a rock before an interaction with a single atom of the rock and the neutrino occurs.
3. Third, they hide within them a vast pool of knowledge and could open up new vistas in the fields of astronomy and astrophysics, communication and even in medical imaging, through the detector spin-offs.

But many environmentalists are questioning its geological radiological and biological effect on environment.

Geological Impact: As we know a hair line crack in walls of laboratory can topple the detector so no such incident take place we have to ban geological exploration or activity in nearly one km circle of project that is any well, irrigation tunnel or mining activity can't be done. These neutrinos will also effect dams in Idukki region and cause mass destruction due to induced seismicity in this area.

Radiological impact: Official studies in usa and Europe tells us that cosmic rays and neutrino have huge impact on health of living being.

Biological impact: Due to radiation contamination gene defect can occur and it can trigger huge biological damage in terms of loss of farm product and tourism industry. So, keeping in mind above challenges in establishment of INO it is pertinent that every safety measures should be taken and proper cost benefit analysis should be done to endure that science can't become a tool of destruction of human being.

Answer : DRDO is responsible for the development of technology for use by the India's defense forces. It is marvel institution because during sanctions, India has nearly achieved Triad in Nuclear Weapons delivery systems, an indigenous achievement.

Factors responsible

• DRDO has been developing equipment which is either sub-standard or have extended deadlines and additional budgets;
• Many of the projects have been sanctioned without the requisite government approval. Only around 10 per cent of projects have come to the ministry for clearance;
• Corruption and nepotism exists in the upper echelons;
• There is an exodus of qualified scientists with some working beyond their tenure
• Waste products: Crores of rupees are spent on research that mostly flops
• The Swadeshi trap: unplanned indigenization leads to losses and aborted projects
• DRDO has been spending fresh money on its own failed projects
• ‘Chalta hai’ attitude: that is does not complete projects in time
• Several of DRDO's projects such as the Light Combat Aircraft Tejas, Nag missile, Long-range Surface-to-Air missile project and the Airborne Early Warning and Control System projects have been delayed by many years and seen several cost overruns.
• DRDO is also in need of structural review and internal audit. There is also a criticism that within the organization the youngsters are not allowed to move up in the hierarchy. Projects runoffs are cause due to such lethargy.
• India's defense procurement policy is also responsible to dysfunctional projects. Scientists in DRDO need Official approval for buying or exploring many research related equipments and tools from abroad or private sectors. Such Red Tapes are gone against this marvel institution
• Very weak civil industrial R&D base-the ratio of non-defense industrial R&D to defense R&D expenditure is only about 1.2 as compared to over 4 in the developed countries.
• The absence of an appropriate industrial base, forces the DRDO to import raw material, components, and subsystems that go into a given product, whose exports, given the nature of the systems being developed, are either embargoed or are subject to a time-consuming licensing process. This often forces the DRDO to develop all the necessary major high-tech components and subsystems from scratch leading to delays and cost escalations"

Measures can be learnt from the recommendations of Dhirendra Singh committee report:

Emphasis on greater indigenization: The Experts Committee is of view that 'Make in India' should not "become assemble in India with no IPR (intellectual property rights) and design control and thereby perpetuating our dependence on the foreign suppliers." To guard against such a situation, the experts group has emphasized on progressively increasing the indigenization content, to be ensured not only through DPP-driven procurement but also by entities like DRDO, DPSUs and OFs - the three traditional players in the defense industry set up. With regard to these entities the experts group has specifically suggested that they need to imbibe an indigenization culture and reflect it in their sourcing of parts, components and raw materials and also the final product. To ensure greater indigenization through the DPP route, the group has suggested an incremental upward revision of the local content requirement stipulated in various procurement categories in successive DPPs. For DPP-2015, which is in the offing, the Committee has recommended that the ingenious requirement under 'Buy (Indian)' and 'Buy and Make (Indian)' should be increased to 40 per cent and 60 per cent, respectively, from the present 30 per cent and 50 per cent. And for 'Make (Indian)' projects, the indigenization content should be increased from the present 30 per cent to 40 per cent in DPP-2015.

• While suggesting the above mentioned local content thresholds under various procurement categories, the Committee has, however, not lost sight of situations that would demand a different approach. For instance, there could be a situation involving particular air platforms in which the domestic capability is minimal and where the local industry is likely to face difficulties in achieving the stipulated local content. To cater for such a situation, the Committee has given the flexibility to the procurement authorities to lower the local content requirement. At the same time, in systems in which local capability is relatively developed, authorities would have the option of enhancing the indigenization requirement.
• Successive governments have not been keen to address the problems in internal functioning of DRDO. There has not been discussion on floor of house as well as in Media importance of healthy functioning of DRDO.

Conclusions: Need to appreciate the work DRDO. Let us not be so enamored of the imported or developments with foreign collaborations. Salvation lies in Make in India with matching Swadeshi technologies only. The critical defense technologies must be unraveled and mastered by dint of our own hard work in our labs and in the universities. Defense research is highly guarded domain and it requires both academic power of young scientists as well as long years of experience of old is gold-working side by side. To that extent ex DRDO Chiefs, CCR&D's and members of DRDO community are valuable asset class. Thankfully organisations like IDST have institutionalized this talent pool. The so called criticisms can be done away with structural reforms there by making DRDO the frontrunner of Indian defense capabilities in the world.

Answer : (a)Safar: A Research based initiative of integrating Air Quality with Health Advisories and Food Security.

A dedicated Air Quality Information Service for Indian Metropolitan Cites to make India self-sufficient "in providing frontier research based scientific accredited robust Air Quality Forecasting system.

Computerized system jointly developed by Indian institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune (under Ministry of Earth Science and India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Advantages

It can measure quality of air that can be forecasted 24-72 hours in advance.

It provides data on

• Air Quality Index - health advisory
• UV Index - skin advisory
• Dynamic city pollution maps.

(b)Bioacoustics: Bioacoustics is a cross-disciplinary science that combines biology and acoustics. Usually it refers to the investigation of sound production, dispersion and reception in animals (including humans)

• It is able to assist the healing process for a wide range of structural, neurological, and biochemical conditions. These include identifying pathogens, biochemical toxins, and genetic syndromes, and diagnostically and therapeutically addressing a wide range of health conditions, including muscle stress and weakness, nutritional imbalances, attention problems and learning disorders, environmental allergies, arthritis, emphysema, epilepsy, heart disease, cerebral palsy, chronic pain, osteoporosis, blood sugar problems, metabolic disorders, gout, and sports injuries.
• Bioacoustics is most appropriate for nonemergency health conditions, on a predictive, diagnostic, and/or therapeutic basis. But not recommend for emergency situations, such as poisoning, traumatic bleeding, broken bones, or situations like heart attack or appendicitis.

(c)Sakaar: It is ISROs augmented reality (AR) application designed for android devices. This AR application shows the live camera view on your device to represent the physical world. Virtual objects are then superimposed on the live camera view and the virtual objects appear to be tightly coupled in on your devices screen.

(d)Simran: It is a satellite imaging for rail navigation. This provides real time information to people for accurate tracking of trains. GPS receiver will be installed in trains to get the locations of trains and this information will be sent to a central server which can be accessed by public to find the train location. It is developed by Research Designs and Standard Organizations (RDSO) in collaboration with IIT-Kanpur.

(e)Bioterrorism: Bioterrorism involves the intentional & deliberate release or dissemination of biological agents such as bacteria, viruses, or toxins to cause illness or death in people, animals, or plants. Biological agents can be spread through the air, water, or in food. Terrorists tend to use biological agents because they are extremely difficult to detect and do not cause illness for several hours to several days. Some bioterrorism agents, like the smallpox virus, can be spread from person to person and some, like anthrax, cannot. Anthrax was used during First World War by Germany to infect the mules and horses of enemies. Examples of Bioterrorism agents: Tularemia or "rabbit fever, Anthrax, Smallpox, SARS, HINI, HIV/AIDS, Bubonic plague, Botulinum toxin.

Answer : The Digital India programme aims to build a broadband highway connecting 2.5 lakh gram panchayats, public internet access centres, e-governance (business process re-engineering and online public grievances redressal, e-kranti module (e-education, e-healthcare, e-justice ,e-farming, etc.), training rural people in IT jobs etc. This programme is expected to bridge the digital divide between urban and rural areas by providing internet access, urban amnesties and IT jobs in rural areas.

Certain issues need to be addressed

• Lack of Infrastructure: NIC and Department of electronics and IT are not equipped to deliver e-governance at such a large scale. The existing infrastructure is not sufficient and there is a need for a huge augmentation in capacity to deliver.
• Issue of Privacy: A legal framework is needed to protect the privacy of individuals so that their information is not misused by the Government for surveillance or by the implementing agencies for vested interests.
• Cyber Security: The existing cyber security infrastructure is quite vulnerable and needs to be strengthened before this programme is implemented on such a large scale as huge stakes will be involved.
• Low Broadband Penetration: India has been ranked 125th in broadband penetration which is even below Sri Lanka and Bhutan. Thus, there is a need for accelerating the pace of the project to meet the targets on time (end of 2016). For this, a lot of private investment needs to be attracted.
• Training of People and Personnel: Only 9% of people in rural areas and about 60% of people in urban areas use the internet. Adequate training and user friendly applications need to be provided to the first time users to make the programme a success.

If the above issues are addressed, then no one can stop India from becoming a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy.

Hurdles in Success

• Poor Implementation and lack of coordination: The basis of the digital India project is NOFN which earlier envisaged to connect 2.5 L gram panchayat but that has been scaled down to 1.10 L due to poor implementation and lack of co-ordination.
• Improper requirement analysis: No well thought analysis was done before implementation of project even big names were on the committee
• Not self-sustainable: Digital India has no revenue generation method and solely depends on govt funding.
• Paucity of requisite expertise and manufacturing base: India does not have skilled human resource which fits into the digital India framework and won't be available in project implementation period and we also do not have capability to manufacture inputs.
• Privacy and Security Concerns: Gathering data has always been debatable topic as this can hamper personal privacy and render confidential data available for non-state actors to be used in a way detrimental to the our society.

If this project is implemented as planned then it has the ability to transform Indian way of life and doing public business as it will synchronize and synergize all digital initiatives for a better and more connected India. But the challenges are big and they are indeed in its proper and time bound implementation.

Answer : Ebola virus disease (EVD), formerly known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever is a severe, often fatal illness in humans. EVD outbreaks have a case fatality rate of up to 90%. EVD outbreaks occur primarily in remote villages in Central and West Africa, near tropical rainforests. The virus is transmitted to people from wild animals and spreads in the human population through human-to-human transmission. Fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family are considered to be the natural host of the Ebola virus.

• In Africa, infection has been noticed among those handling infected chimpanzees, gorillas, fruit bats, monkeys, forest antelope found ill or dead or in the rainforest. Ebola then spreads in the community through human-to-human transmission, with infection resulting from direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes) with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected people, and indirect contact with environments contaminated with such fluids.
• The outbreak may have to do with the travel patterns of bats across Africa and recent weather patterns in the region.
• The Guinea forest region, traditionally comprised of small and isolated populations of diverse ethnic groups who hold little power and pose little threat to the larger groups closer to the capital, has been habitually neglected, receiving little attention or capital investment. Rather, the region was systematically plundered and the forest decimated by clear-cut logging, leaving the “Guinea Forest Region” largely deforested. The forest region also shares borders with Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Cote d'Ivoire, three countries suffering civil war in recent decades. Consequently, the region has found itself home to tens of thousands of refugees fleeing these conflicts, adding to both the ecologic and economic burden. Sharply drier conditions at the end of the rainy seasons have been cited as one triggering event. These drier ecologic conditions somehow influence the number or proportion of Ebola virus–infected bats and/or the frequency of human contact with them.
• There is a risk the deadly virus could be imported into the country if the large population of Indians working in the four affected West African nations returns. There are nearly 45,000 Indian nationals living and working in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria - where an outbreak of the disease has killed 932 people. A total of 1,011 Indians, who have returned from Ebola-affected areas, are being tracked for the virus.
• While the risk of Ebola virus cases in India is low, preparedness measures are in place to deal with any case of the virus imported to India. Government has advised against all non-essential travel to the four countries, and authorities will screen travelers who originate from or transit through affected nations, and track them after their arrival in India.
• The government needs to set up facilities at airports and ports to manage travelers showing symptoms of the disease. State authorities have been instructed to designate hospitals with isolation wards for response to possible cases and to stock personal protective equipment.

Answer : ASTROSAT aims at understanding the high energy processes in binary star systems containing neutron stars and black holes. This is India's first dedicated multi wavelength space observatory into space, launched by ISRO, besides six satellites for Canada, Indonesia and the United States.

• Though there have been scientific missions in the past by ISRO like Aryabhata, SROSS, etc. This is the first time ISRO is launching a space observatory into space. The satellite can perform simultaneous multi-wavelength observations of various astronomical objects. The sun and star sensors, besides the gyroscopes, would provide orientation reference to the satellite, which has a mission life of five years. ASTROSAT aims at understanding the high energy processes in binary star systems containing neutron stars and black holes, to estimate magnetic fields of neutron stars, to study star birth regions and high energy processes in star systems lying beyond the Milky Way galaxy. The mission also intends to detect new briefly bright X-ray sources in the sky, to perform a limited deep field survey of the Universe in the ultraviolet region.
• This is the first time India is launching a space observatory. That is not the only reason why the ASTROSAT telescope is so special. Unlike most other telescopes, the five instruments (payloads) of ASTROSAT can observe a wider variety of wavelengths - from visible light to the ultraviolet and X-ray bands. Even in the X-ray band, it can study both low and high energy X-ray regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Most other satellites are capable of observing only a narrow range of wavelength band.
• With this mission India will be able to study the celestial objects and bodies more closely. It will facilitate more detailed understanding of our universe -thus, establishing itself in the world of space.

Answer : In a recent estimate it was speculated that over 25% of the world’s plant species might be lost by the year 2025, if the current rate of the plant genetic erosion continues, thus preserving this germ pool is an integral part of food security.

• If we are unable to combat the problems of genetic erosion, it may lead to losing sources of resistance to pests, diseases and climatic stress and finally leading to crop failure in future.
• According to various studies and scientists, pure traits of various cross pollinated crops need to be maintained, many ofwhich include some of the most vital cereal crops which are essential for the food security of the globe.
• In an effort to conserve agricultural biodiversity, gene banks are used to store and conserve the plant genetic resources of major crop plants and their crop and relatives. There are many gene banks in the world, with the Svalbard global seed vault being probably the most famous one.
• The larger the germ pool, more will be the diversity at genetic and species level, that further increases the formation of cross verities that better acclimatize to the environment thus increasing their survival rate.
• For example, scientists have been constantly engaging themselves in preserving the germplasm of maize and barley where they are coming up with short term preservation techniques to maintain germplasm carrying pure traits of resistant genes.
• Also, National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR), New Delhi has already made a huge gene pool of various crops promoting long term preservation and sustenance. The centre also promotes cryopreservation, restoring the quality of germplasm under extremely cold conditions.

Answer : India's own satellite-based navigation system, similar to the well-known American Global Positioning System (GPS), is being readied. The Indian system is called the IRNSS for 'Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System'.

• The American GPS-system is of much larger scale covering the entire globe using 24 satellites in addition to several networked ground stations. IRNSS, on the other hand, is being undertaken on a much smaller scale. The Indian system is intended as an independent regional system providing "position accuracy better than 10m over India and the region extending about 1500 kms around India."
• The IRNSS, with a total of seven satellites, placed at a height of about 36,000 kms, and using two microwave frequency bands, L5 and S, will relay information 24x7 for two types of services: Standard Positioning Service (SPS) for general use and Restricted Service (RS) meant for special authorised users - military and other government actors. Three satellites will be placed in the geostationary equatorial orbit, matching earth's rotation and the other four (pair of two) will be placed in two inclined geosynchronous orbits.
• The significance of IRNSS cannot be underplayed. Navigation systems, once used by the most powerful militaries around the world, are also being used by civilians through their smart phones. In addition, many militaries are using them for a wide range of applications. India's ability to develop its own system without having to rely on any external source will go a long way in securing itself.
• The US-managed GPS became available for large-scale use a decade ago or so, although the importance of location precision technologies in the military arena with an emphasis on accumulating hard power has prompted many countries, particularly in Asia, to develop their own versions of GPS and other space-based navigation systems. Some of the proven and more popular systems include the Chinese Beidou, Russian Glonass and Japanese Quazi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS) that is making slow progress.
• Given the growing importance of location data for a variety of purposes including in the civilian, disaster management and military domain, India cannot be lagging behind. A decision by the ISRO to involve Indian industry in developing communication satellites and PSLVs will lighten the burden on the ISRO while helping to refocus their attention on some big science projects and remote sensing satellites. This move will also step up the process of establishing a much-needed strategic industry around outer space.

Answer : Clinical trial is “any research study that prospectively assigns human participants or groups of humans to one or more health-related interventions to evaluate the effects on health outcomes.” Interventions include but are not restricted to drugs, cells and other biological products, surgical procedures, radiological procedures, devices, behavioural treatments, process-of-care changes, preventive care, etc.

• Indian Context: Clinical research is an indispensable part of the drug discovery process to ensure the safety and efficacy of any new drug. In today’s global scientific era, clinical trials are the mainstay for bringing newer and better drugs to market. Although a set of robust guidelines is available to govern the conduct of clinical trials in any country, the conduct of clinical research is also looked upon as an area of humanitarian concern.
• Clinical trials are one form of clinical research that involves a researcher or researchers who directly observe a person or people, and/or collect data to answer a scientific or medical question about the safety or potential benefit of an intervention such as a medication, device, teaching concept, training method or behavioral changes.
• Clinical trials market in India has recorded significant growth trends in the recent past. Clinical research experienced over 84% growth during 2006-2008 and it has its own merit in regards to further prospect considering that global clinical market is growing at 12% rate. Clinical research industry in India touched US$ 320 million in 2009, up from US$ 140 million in 2006.
• The clinical trial market in India looks very lucrative. The country promises to be one of the hottest destinations for conducting global clinical trials, owing to a huge patient pool representing both chronic and infectious diseases, easy recruitment of patients, and high cost savings. The availability of a large drug native patient population and well-trained medical professionals, coupled with sophisticated technological infrastructure have made India an attractive destination for conducting global clinical trials.
• Moreover, the market is getting boost from improved IPR protection with changed rules and also from reduced taxes and duties. According to a report, the clinical trial outsourced market in India is forecasted to grow at a CAGR of around 31% during 2010-2012. Presently, the market is characterized by the dominance of phase III and phase II trials, which currently hold more than 80% of the market.
• Supreme Court Directions on conducting Clinical trials: Supreme Court of India has criticized the government severely for being lax about CT deaths and unauthorized trials and banned new molecular entity trials under certain conditions. The apex court further instructed that the government come up with a new regulatory regime for CTs that reflects the concerns of all stakeholders, including those who volunteer to undergo the tests at the risk of adverse health effects and even death. The good news is that even as this proposal is being evolved and refined, recently the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) has cleared trial licenses for 50 CTs such that the industry did not come to a standstill. Still, there are two main reasons why the current system of regulatory control in India is not working very well.
• First, an evidential and competent review system of new drug applications (NDAs), investigational new drugs (INDs) and abbreviated NDAs (ANDAs) (generic dossiers) is almost lacking. No one has ever seen a first class review report for any submitted NDA or ANDA in our country. As such a report is never written and promulgated in the current system. Whereas in countries such as Canada or USA a review report of an NDA is comparable with an article in a journal of impact factor of say 25. Such reviews are synthesis of all the good work that has gone into (clinical) development of the drug application and forms the basis of approval. These days, the cross-disciplinary review of an NDA is probably one of the highest theses ever written on that drug entity.
• Second, issue of quality and documentation needs to be addressed thoroughly. In inspections by US-Food and Drug Administration, it was found that Indian sites could have built in better quality in their trials had they been paying more attention to some particular areas. For example, protocol non-compliance, inadequate or inaccurate records, inadequate drug accountability, informed consent issues and adverse event reporting are the most common quality lapses our CTs. When it comes to documentation in general, Indian sites understand the value and practice of a thorough and compliant process. However, since one of the major advantages in India is often a high rate of patient recruitment, sometimes the investigational sites focus less on documentation. This needs to be corrected as the documentation is the written record of GCP compliance.
• Finally, it is appreciated that a lot of work needs to be carried out for international clinical studies to flow into India again and to grow to the level of China, for example. The industry, academia, ethics committees, funding sources and all other stakeholders are here to cooperate whole heartedly with the government.

Answer : For the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Mangalyaan was a bold gamble that paid off. When it was launched in 2013, along with accolades, it had also received severe criticism from skeptics and social scientists. Today their voices drown in the triumph of its maiden journey.

• The most striking part of the success of this Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) was that India broke into the big league with its first ever attempt which even the US or Russia couldn't do. Second, it came at a much cheaper price of $74 million when others spent a few hundred. Now, ISRO became the fourth space agency after NASA, the Russian space programme and the European Space Agency (ESA) to have joined the elite Mars club. And India is the first Asian country to have done it.
• Looking back more than a year ago, the situation was not this rosy. Certainly there were many supporting voices for this grandiose plan, even when ISRO was still defaulting on its promise of a launch vehicle called the GSLV, which could send bigger payloads into space. Many thought that it was a misplaced idea of symbolism that could fail.
• India joins the United States, Russia and Europe in successfully sending probes to orbit or land on Mars. Apart from India, none managed to succeed on their first attempt. The mission also makes India the first country in Asia to reach Mars, after an attempt by regional rival China failed to leave Earth’s orbit in 2011.

Answer : In the recent years ISRO has matured in experience and technological capabilities thus the scope for playing a major role in space market has increased tremendously.

• During the Chandrayaan-1 mission and the joint discovery of water molecules on the moon surface, unattained by any of the previous missions of such nature has increased the potential of India in space market.
• The data products generated from recently launched OCEANSAT-2 and Scatterometer is made available globally in near-real-time for global applications through an arrangement with EUMETSAT. The data from other instruments of this satellite is also highly sought of by international scientific community.
• India has launched MEGHA-TROPIQUES. The data would contribute to the global scientific community to study and understand the dynamics of climate system. India continues to play active role in deliberation on Scientific and Technical and legal sub committees of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNCOPUOS).
• India also plays major role in other multilateral forum, including United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN-ESCAP), International COSPAS-SARSAT system for search and rescue operations, International Astronautical Federation (IAF), International Academy of Astronautics (IAA), International Institute of Space Law (IISL), Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS), Committee on Space Research (COSPAR), Inter Agency Debris Coordination Committee (IADC), Space Frequency Coordination Group (SFCG), Coordinating Group on Meteorological Satellites (CGMS), International Space Exploration Coordination Group (ISECG), International Global Observing Strategy (IGOS), International Space University (ISU), Asian Association for Remote Sensing (AARS), International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS), etc. Internationally, ISRO plays active role in sharing its expertise and satellite data for the management of natural disasters through various multi-agency bodies like International Charter for Space and Major Disasters, Sentinel Asia and UNSPIDER.

Answer : Stem cells are ‘unspecialised’ cells that have the unique potential to develop into ‘specialised’ cell types in the body (for example blood cells, muscle cells or nerve cells). It improves our understanding of fundamental processes in biology; contribute to novel treatment methods in the health care setting, by producing: models of diseases; models for drug screening. The issues are:

I. Ethical Issue: There are three possible sources of stem cells: adult stem cells derived from pediatric or adult donors; embryo germ cell stem cells (EG cells) derived from aborted foetuses; and embryonic stem cells (ES cells) derived from disaggregated pre-implantation embryos. The harvesting of embryonic stem cells present ethical issue, since it requires the destruction of early-stage embryos, known as blastocysts. Proponents of embryonic research argue that a blastocyst is only a cluster of 150 cells, and does not possess even the nervous system required to biologically qualify as a human being. Further, they maintain that blastocysts are surpluses obtained from in vitro fertilization clinics with the consent of the patients. However, for the people whose moral beliefs state that human life begins at the moment of conception, embryonic research is simply unacceptable.

II. Biological Issue: Potential issues with the use of stem cell therapies on humans include the tendency for stem cells to develop tumors, and the possibility that the patient's body might reject the implanted cells as foreign objects. Additionally, the long-term effects are unknown.

III. Legal Issue: There are no legal laws related to research in stem cell in India whereas in EU stem cell using foetus is banned.

Answer : Homi Jehangir Bhabha, was founding director, and professor of physics at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. India’s first atomic research centre now called Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) was established at Trombay under his guidance.India’s First atomic reactor, Apsara was also established under his expert guidance. Bhabha became the first chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission set up in 1948. In the 1950s, Bhabha represented India in IAEA conferences, and served as President of the United Nations Conference on the Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy in Geneva, Switzerland in 1955. During this time, he intensified his lobbying for developing the nuclear weapons. His major contribution in field of nuclear physics included his work on Compton scattering, R-process, and furthermore the advancement of nuclear physics.

Answer : Biotechnology benefit the large number of target population farmers, women and SC/ST population through skill development with various interventions of agro-based, horticulture, animal husbandry, secondary agriculture and value based product and process development through training and demonstration programmes undertaken in various income and employment generation activities.

• Government is addressing support for dissemination of Biotech interventions in Agriculture and allied Sector, Health & Sanitation, Environment & Biodiversity conservation, Animal Husbandry, Dairy and Fisheries, Integrated Farming, Product/process development and value addition, through training and demonstration activities with a little support on R&D aspects for addressing specific problems in development of technology packages, refinement and validation to suit different agro climatic conditions.

Answer : Thorium-based fuels exhibit several attractive properties relative to uranium-based fuels which makes it clean nuclear fuel. Have a higher melting point, higher thermal conductivity, and lower coefficient of thermal expansion.

• A thorium reactor would produce few emissions (which is not to say that nuclear power carries no caveats). Thorium is three to four times more abundant on Earth than uranium. Thorium is actually cheaper than uranium, it’s indirectly cheaper. A fully functioning thorium reactor would be smaller and produce less waste. Thorium reactors do not require any energy intensive, proliferation–endangering 'enrichment', and no wasteful removal of delicate fuel pellets and rods before even 10 percent of their fuel is consumed."

Answer : Nanotechnology is being used in several applications to improve the environment. This includes cleaning up existing pollution, improving manufacturing methods to reduce the generation of new pollution, and making alternative energy sources more cost effective.

Examples:

1. The use of silver nanoclusters as catalysts can significantly reduce the polluting byproducts generated in the process used to manufacture propylene oxide. Propylene oxide is used to produce common materials such as plastics, paint, detergents and brake fluid.
2. An array of silicon nanowires embedded in a polymer results in low cost but high efficiency solar cells.
3. Carbon nanotubes are being used to make windmill blades. The resulting blades are stronger and have lower weight and therefore the amount of electricity generated by each windmill is greater.

Answer : A cruise missile has been defined as a “weapon which automatically flies an essentially horizontal cruise flight profile for most of the duration of its flight between launch and its terminal trajectory to impact.”

• Nirbhay - an all-weather low-cost long-range cruise missile with stealth and high accuracy has been test fired by India.
• There are many reasons for developing and inducting such missiles. On the one hand, ballistic missiles are far more expensive than cruise missiles. On the other, cruise missiles are difficult to detect and intercept. The missile can blasts off like rocket but after that it can be treated as an aircraft which has wings and tail fins. This feature of missile makes it maneuverable.

• The term “hybrid,” refers to a plant variety developed through a specific, controlled cross of two parent plants.
• Usually, the parents are naturally compatible varieties within the same species.
• Unlike hybrids, which are developed in the field using natural, low-tech methods, GM varieties are created in a lab using highly complex technology, such as gene splicing.
• These high-tech GM varieties can include genes from several species — a phenomenon that almost never occurs in nature.

Answer : The digitization of cable network will hugely benefit the broadcasting industry and the consumer, as it will ensure more channels and enhanced viewing pleasure.

• While there are over 600 channels available, cable network can carry only a little over 100 channels. In India, cable network dominates the market with almost 75-80 per cent of the 140 million TV homes. Once digitised, cable network can carry at least 400 channels with ease.

Answer : The 'Assisted Reproductive Technology' (ART) regulation bill 2010, yet to be tabled at parliament, is regulating laws aimed to control and regulate the fertility clinics and surrogacy in India. It seeks to establish National Advisory Board for Assisted Reproductive Technology and the state boards for proper regulation of surrogacy.

Guidelines issued by the Union Home Ministry

• Foreign nationals who wished to have a surrogate child should be on separate medical visa.
• Only heterosexual couples would be eligible for this visa. This couple should have been married for two years.
• The foreign ministry of the home country or the embassy in India should certify recognizing surrogacy.
• Official assurance is required that child or the children would be allowed entering home country as the biological child of couple.
• The procedure of surrogacy should be done only at Assisted Reproductive Technology clinic which is recognised by ICMR.
• According to the Bill, only gestational surrogacy, i.e. through In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) and Embryo Transfer (ET), will be permitted, and genetic surrogacy, i.e. through Intra Uterine Insemination (IUI) will not.
• The couple will furnish an undertaking that they would take care of the child/ children born through surrogacy.
• The couple should produce a duly notarised agreement between the applicant couple and the prospective Indian surrogate mother.

Answer : Dr. Har Gobind Khorana shared the Nobel Prize for Medicine and Physiology in 1968 with Marshall Nirenberg and Robert Holley for cracking the genetic code.

• They established that this code, the biological language common to all living organisms, is spelled out in three-letter words: each set of three nucleotides codes for a specific amino acid.
• Dr. Khorana was also the first to synthesize oligo nucleotides (strings of nucleotides) which is an indispensable tool in biotechnology, widely used in biology labs for sequencing, cloning and genetic engineering.