Professional Documents
Culture Documents
14
THE HINDU
Dietary supplements
good for coral health
REUTERS
Wind-borne pollen
might also seed clouds
Forget passwords,
its question time
The RNTCP currently treats patients without knowing their resistance profile: JMM
R. PRASAD
ASHOKE CHAKRABARTY
he Joint Monitoring
Mission 2015 has
come down heavily
on the Revised National Tuberculosis Control
Programme (RNTCP) and the
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for their inability
to handle the MDR-TB crisis
in the country. The report released last month reects on
the ndings, conclusions, and
recommendations made by it
in 2012.
Despite its inability to diagnose drug-resistant TB, the
national programmes heavy
dependence on the centuryold, insensitive smear microscopy as a primary diagnostic tool has been strongly
criticised. Besides the lack of
sensitivity, the microscopy is
ill-equipped to diagnose
drug-resistant TB. This is
particularly worrying as the
number of drug-resistant
cases is steadily increasing.
The Standards for Tuberculosis Care in India (STCI)
a document drawn up by
the Central TB Division in
consultation with the WHO
and national TB institutes
advocates drug sensitivity
testing for all presumed
MDR-TB cases. However,
this may not become a reality
in the near future. Progress
is threatened by slow uptake
of the new molecular test the
JMM says. Procurement of
these tests is unaccountably
delayed.
The RNTCP currently
treats patients without knowing their resistance prole,
Recommendations
DAILY DOSING: The report emphasises the need for RNTCP to speed up
implementation of the transition to daily dosing. PHOTO: R. RAGU
states the Joint Monitoring
Mission report. This along
with its current regimen of
thrice weekly drugs even to
those with prior resistance
has been associated with
failure and amplication of
resistance to rifampicin drug.
It is therefore likely, under
programme conditions, to be
generating more MDR cases,
it says.
While private doctors treat
patients with daily dosing,
the RNTCP follows a thrice
weekly strategy. The report
has emphasised the need to
accelerate implementation
of the transition to daily dosing.
According to the report,
turning to universal drug
SHUBASHREE DESIKAN
emembering passwords
across various utilities is
a challenge that many face.
There are security breaches
that happen in password-driven systems of entry as well.
Now, a system developed by a
collaboration of researchers
provides a welcome relief.
Based on the users social
activity through the day,
questions are asked to which
only the user and the system
know the answers and these
form the substitute for password-driven access to the
utilities. The study, supported by Complex Network Research Group, IIT Kharagpur,
has also tested this on 70 users and found a good rate of
success. While storing and remembering different passwords for all the applications
one uses can turn out to be
difficult, using the same password across utilities can simplify the task but would end
up endangering security.
To get around this problem
researchers from IIT Kharagpur, University of Texas, Austin, and University of Illinois,
Urbana-Champaign, have developed an end-to-end system, ActivPass, which will
determine whether the user
is granted entry or not based
on the answers posed by the
system. For instance a smart
phone may ask its user,
From whom did you receive
an SMS this morning?
The users can set the number of questions they need to
be asked. Questions from infrequent activities, being
more memorable than the
routine ones, were used for
this purpose.
The same system can be attached to a PC also, by either
on governments to abolish
discriminatory
legislation
and remove discriminatory
language from official publications; provide quality
health care to persons affected by leprosy; and promote
their social inclusion.
Shunned by the society and
often living in isolated colonies, the NHRC has now appealed to corporates to adopt
colonies of persons affected
by leprosy.
In addition to rehabilitation of the affected persons
and their families, the NHRC
has recommended that the
Ministry for Empowerment
of Persons with Disabilities
should revisit the guidelines
issued on the subject of Dis-
K.S. SUDHI
xplorations in the Southern Ocean (SO) have
yielded a pleasant surprise to
marine scientists.
A young marine scientist
from the Centre for Marine
Living Resources and Ecology
(CMLRE), Kochi, has sighted
Adelie penguins (Pygoscelis
adeliae) nearly 500 km away
from Les Kerguelen Island in
the Southern Ocean, on their
its migratory route.
Anoop Balan, the scientist
who studied the marine
mammals of the Southern
Ocean, spotted juveniles and
adult swimming and feeding
during the expedition.
International experts have
communicated that there are
very few pelagic records of
the birds in this region, this
far north. Observations were
made on board Ocean Research Vessel Sagar Nidhi, he
said.
The Adelie penguin is one
of the most easily identiable
penguin species with its blueblack back and white chest
and belly. It is the smallest
penguin found in the Southern Ocean. During winter, the
birds migrate north only to
return in summer months,
Dr. Balan said.
The CMLRE had earlier
surveyed the ice-free areas of
CH VIJAYA BHASKAR
Pollution exposure
boosts allergy risk
R. RAVINDRAN
NOIDA/DELHI
THE HINDU
QUESTION CORNER
Milk cooker
Why does milk boiling in a milk cooker not overflow?
GEORGE PHILIP
Guntur, Andhra Pradesh
The major constituent of milk is water i.e. 85-87 per cent
and the rest is distributed among fat, protein, sugar and
salts. The boiling point of milk (100.17 degree Celsius),
therefore, is slightly higher than that of water (i.e. 100
degree Celsius). However before milk is brought to boiling
relatively less dense constituents like the fat and the proteins partially segregate and mostly oat up to form the
layer of cream. This is a covering layer and does not allow
water vapour to pass through it normally.
When milk is boiled in an ordinary vessel, the temperature of the liquid rises, even above the boiling point and a
large quantity of water vapour is generated below the
cream cover. This makes the cream layer bulge out.
Owing to its lower mechanical strength when the steam
pressure builds up on the lower side of the membrane
cream layer, it tears, releases some amount of the water
vapour and the bulge collapses. In the place of the rupture
soon the membrane gets repaired by fresh supply of the
tiny protein and fat particles, abundantly present in the
nearby medium.
Thus, the area of the top covering layer gradually increases and the surface appears bulged out, in order to
accumulate a large amount of the water vapour. Ant at
some point of time, the bulged out sheet of cream out grows
the available space in the vessel, resulting in the overow of
the milk.
On the other hand when milk is heated in a milk cooker
all these above processes do not occur. The milk cooker is a
double-walled vessel with the annular gap containing water, which boils at a lower temperature than the boiling
point of milk. As the boiling of water continues, the supplied heat is used in transformation of liquid water into
water vapour at 100 degree C and the temperature of the
water and the vessel remains constant at 100 degree Celsius.
The cream layer forms on the top of the mass of milk, like
the earlier case. However, the temperature being lower
than the boiling point of milk, it does not cause the vapour
bubbles to form and bulge out of the cream layer. Thus milk
does not overow.
DR. K. ANBARASU
Quality Control Wing
Tamil Nadu Milk Producers Federation Limited
Chennai
CM
YK
FARMERS NOTEBOOK
Biodiversity
Presently a new technology called Ecological engineering
for
pest
management has been introduced by National Institute
of Plant Health Management (NIPHM), Hyderabad
to aid farmers maintain the
biodiversity and keep pests
under control while at the
same time maintaining the
paddy eco-system.
Since in southern Tamil
Nadu, it is season for paddy
cultivation efforts are currently in progress to popularise this concept for
promoting bio-intensive integrated pest management
method.
The technology trial was
adopted in Singiripalayam
village and Mr. Karthikeyan,
a paddy farmer who adopted
this technology in his eld,
says:
Due to excessive pesticide use farmers like me often
encountered
Natural predators
In normal situation we
use to go for chemical spray,
sometimes even three to
four sprays to control pests
and diseases. By adopting
this technique no chemical
spray is required. Natural
enemies which prey on the
pests are allowed to ourish
in the elds. By adopting this
method I could save nearly
Rs.5,000 for a hectare towards the cost of purchase of
chemical pesticides during
one cropping season, says
15
FARM QUERY
Seedling in sugarcane
Apart from regular sugarcane growing is there any other viable
business model which can be done on the crop?
RAMESH PRABHA
Tamil Nadu
Seedling production in sugarcane technology has been identied as a separate enterprise and promoted among many
nursery growers. For more details on this contact Dr. B.J.
Pandian, Director i/c, Water Technology Centre, Tamil Nadu
Agricultural University, Coimbatore: 641003. email: directorwtc@tnau.ac.in, Phone: 0422 6611278, 6611478, Mobile :
94432 86711.
Readers are invited to send their queries with full postal address to Farm Queries, The Hindu,
Kasturi Buildings, 859/860, Anna Salai, Chennai 600002 or email to farmqueries@thehindu.co.in
ND-ND
NOIDA/DELHI
14
THE HINDU
REUTERS
M.A. SRIRAM
Mapping drought-prone
West African regions
S.R. RAGHUNATHAN
AFP
Predicting risk of
schizophrenia with MRI
THULASI KAKKAT
R. PRASAD
R. PRASAD
SILVER LINING: According to DST, more women are winning funding from
government grant schemes. PHOTO: S. MAHINSHA
compared with China (18 researchers per 10,000 labour
force) and Brazil (seven researchers per 10,000 labour
force). With six researchers
per 10,000 labour force, even
Kenya has a higher proportion than India.
The number of research
papers published by researchers based in the country has nearly quadrupled
since 2000 but it is way too
low compared with China. If
there were around 25,000 papers published from India in
2000, it was nearly 90,000 in
2013. In the case of China, the
numbers have risen phenomenally from about 50,000 in
2000 to over 310,000 papers
in 2013.
Besides the 40 CSIR laboratories, a few premier research institutions like the
IISc, Bengaluru, TIFR, Mumbai, 16 IITs and ve Indian
Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER),
there are over 600 universities in the country. But hardly
any of the international-level
research is done in the universities.
Facilities and teaching at
the universities that serve
more than 29million students are alarming. Most are
chalk and talk classrooms
with poor-quality teaching
Quality-control
mechanisms must be established for
the national accreditation
and assessment of Indian
PhDs and to improve research and educational training.
I have noticed a fundamental difference in the attitude of young U.S.scientists
from that of their Indian
counterparts: their appetite
for big problems. Going for
great is a skill acquired very
early on in the West, writes
Yamuna Krishnan, professor
of chemistry at the University
of Chicago, Illinois. She was
earlier with the Bengalurubased National Centre for Biological Sciences before moving over to the U.S.
Unlike in the West where
talent is spotted at the graduate level and nurtured, researchers in India are
mentored way too late.
Is there a dearth of talent
in India? Certainly not. Is
there a dearth of unstoppable
achievers and innovators?
Yes: because making talent
shine takes a culture that is
proud of its scientists and a Exporting e-waste
charged intellectual environment that nurtures, mentors DIVYA GANDHI
and drives them., writes
uch of the 40 million
Prof. Umesh Varshney of the
tonnes of electronic
Department of Microbiology
waste produced around the
and Cell Biology, IISc.
world old smartphones,
TVs, laptops and obsolete
kitchen appliances nds its
way illegally to Asia and Africa every year, says a report by
the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
Close to 90 per cent of the
worlds
electronic waste
INSAT-3A to another nineworth nearly $19 billion is
metre Hub at IMD.
He said both INCOIS and illegally traded or dumped
IMD act as mirror centres to each year, to destinations half
each other by ensuring com- way across the world. While
plete availability of the data the European Union the U.S.
as the entire computational and Japan are the primary
infrastructure
including origins of e-waste shipments,
hardware, operating systems, China, India, Malaysia and
application software, proc- Pakistan are the main destiessing and archival software nations, says the report. In
and also monitoring pro- Africa, Ghana and Nigeria are
grammes have been installed the biggest recipients of ewaste.
at both the places.
While the users earlier had Destination India
to visit certain specic instiIllegal trade is driven by
tutions to download data
the
relatively low costs of
once in six months or so, the
ISGN network now has come shipment and the high costs
in handy for researchers as of treatment in the developed
well as operational monitor- countries. Quoting an U.S.
ing for INCOIS and IMD. All Environmental Protection
the real-time data received Agency study, the UNEP refrom various stations is ar- port says that exporting echived at INCOIS and IMD waste to Asia worked out 10
and made available through times cheaper than processthe website www.isgn.gov.in. ing it in within these
The communication and countries.
The Indian subcontinent
computational infrastructure
is capable of catering to up to has turned into an important
500 standalone seismic/
GNSS stations and plans are
on to achieve the same in the
next few years, he says.
Most universities have poor-quality teaching labs let alone research labs
Y. MALLIKARJUN
R. RAVINDRAN
NOIDA/DELHI
THE HINDU
FARMERS NOTEBOOK
QUESTION CORNER
National Innovation
Foundation and ICAR
join hands
STAFF REPORTER
ational
Innovation
Foundation India
(NIF) entered into an understanding with the Indian
Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) recently to
verify, validate and promote
innovations from the agricultural sector.
The agreement was signed
by Prof Anil K Gupta, Executive Vice Chair, National Innovation Foundation India
and Dr.S. Ayyappan, Secretary, DARE and Director General, Indian Council of
Agricultural Research at New
Delhi.
M.J. PRABU
PHOTO: M. PRABHU
Satellite launch
Why are all satellites and missiles launched from the east
coast?
A. KARTHIKA
Chennai
Before we discover the reason, let us know about the
Earths rotation. When seen from the North Pole, the Earth
rotates anti-clock wise. It means in general term, from west
to east as we see the sun rising in the east and setting in the
west.
The surface velocity of rotation varies from point to
point on the Earth. It is about 1600 km per hour or about
460 meters in a second near the equator.
The velocity gradually reduces as we move to the poles
and it is practically zero there. A satellite launched from
the sites near the equator towards the east direction will
get an initial boost equal to the velocity of Earth surface.
This is similar to an athlete circling round and round
before throwing a discus or a shot put.
The initial boost helps in cutting down the cost of rockets used to launch the satellites.
This is the major reason for launching satellites in the
east ward direction. But this benefit can be taken only for
such satellites which are placed in geo-stationery orbit or
which circle the Earth parallel to the equator. Such satellites are usually communication satellites or satellites used
for scientific research such as ISS.
There are other satellites which are placed in polar
orbits moving across the equator in north south direction
and used mainly for mapping or some times for spying.
Such satellites are generally launched in south ward or
north ward direction and therefore cannot take advantage
of the Earths rotation.
Another characteristic of launching satellites is that the
launching stations are generally located near eastern coast
line so that, just in case of failure of the launch, the satellite
does not fall on built-up hinterland.
RASHMI JAIN
Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh
CM
YK
n ambitious programme
called Mukulam from
CARD-Krishi Vigyan Kendra in Pathanamthitta district has been inaugurated as
an educational tool to create
awareness among school
children to grow crops in
their school gardens as a
supplemental instruction to
their regular studies.
The programme, launched
in the year 2010, aims to provide a platform for students
for showcasing their talents
in nurturing nature and
building awareness of their
role in contributing to the
nation's food security.
Working areas
OUTSTANDING: The best school is awarded a cash price of Rs. 5000 and a
rolling trophy and citation. - PHOTO: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
effort to develop a garden in
five cents of land.
In this five-year journey
through Mukulam, we could
instil a culture of safe farming
among more than 10,000
families through 1,500 school
children from 46 schools,
who participated in this programme. The schools' eco
clubs demonstrated their
commitment towards the
cause by working in the
school garden even on holidays, explains Dr. Sindhu Sadanandan, specialist at the
Kendra in charge of the
project.
Garden maintanence
Besides participating in every activity, the school gardeners cultivated a variety of
vegetables, fruit crops and
medicinal garden all grown
organically. Club members in
relay maintained the garden
and attended to the plants in
a scheduled manner before
and after school hours.
The programme instilled a
sense of responsibility in the
younger generation to conserve nature and contribute
to food security.
Participating schools on
an average harvested over
Made aware
Programmes like this can
be conducted across the several hundreds of schools
across the country. Students
should be made aware about
the importance of agriculture
and from where they get their
food. If we fail in this most
important task, then future of
agriculture and food security
is a bog question, says Dr.
Robert.
For more information
please contact Dr. Sindhu Sadanandan
on
mobile:
09946090961, email: sindhu@kvkcard.org,
CARDKrishi Vigyan Kendra-Pathanamthitta District, (Farm
Science Centre, Indian Council of Agricultural Research
(ICAR), Kolabhagam P.O., Tiruvalla (Via),Pathanamthitta
district, Kerala, phone: 0469
2662094
and
266182,
Extn-11/12,
website:
www.kvkcard.org
15
Expectation
This collaboration is expected to convert many of the
ideas and innovations from
the grassroots to the value
added products and generate
wealth for innovators, and
value for society. These technologies will also generate
livelihood options for the
youth and self- help groups in
rural areas.
The ICAR has played a pioneering role in ushering in
the Green Revolution and
subsequent developments in
agriculture in India through
its research and technology
development that has enabled the country to increase
the production of foodgrains,
while NIFs major contribution from the Honey Bee Network, has been able to build
up a database of more than 2,
10,000 technological ideas,
innovations and traditional
knowledge practices (not all
unique, not all distinct) from
over 575 districts of the country.
FARM QUERY
Tamil Nadu
The Indian Institute of Spices Research (IISR), Kozhikode,
has made a significant breakthrough in bio-fertilizer production by successfully encapsulating plant growth nutrients. For
details contact Dr M. Anandaraj, Director, Indian Institute of
Spices Research, Kozhikode, phone: Phone0495-2730294,
email: anandaraj@spices.res.in, and Business Planning and
Development Unit on email: bpd.iisr@gmail.com
Readers are invited to send their queries with full postal address to Farm Queries, The Hindu,
Kasturi Buildings, 859/860, Anna Salai, Chennai 600002 or email to farmqueries@thehindu.co.in
ND-ND
NOIDA/DELHI
14
THE HINDU
AP
Reshaping mountains
to save species
AFP
NAGARA GOPAL
AFP
REUTERS
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Repurposed antibiotic
shows promise
R. PRASAD
Efforts on
the ship to an appropriate location for in situ measurements, the research paper
said.
The bloom, also known as
green tide, occurs during the
winterspring (mid Februaryend March) and spreads
to the entire northern half of
the basin. Researchers had
been regularly monitoring
the bloom since 2009. During
their cruises, researchers had
found the colour of water was
remarkably dark green in
ocean depths exceeding
2,000 metre.
Though not toxic, it is classified as harmful algal bloom
as its spread can lead to depletion of dissolved oxygen in
the bloom region. The decay
of the high biomass can lead
to the release of ammonia and
steep reduction in dissolved
oxygen, which may force other marine organisms to move
to safe regions, he said.
ND-ND
NOIDA/DELHI
THE HINDU
QUESTION CORNER
Drinking soda
Drinking soda helps us during indigestion. How?
S.M. SHVANI
Chennai
Soda water or carbonated water is water in to which low
levels of pressurized carbon dioxide has been dissolved,
creating carbonic acid. The intake of soda water helps
those with impaired digestion. Soda water causes bloating,
which stretches the stomach. Mechanoreceptors in the
stomach detect the stretching resulting in parasympathetic innervations to gastrointestinal (GI) smooth muscles.
This results in an increase in GI motility.
Researchers have found that people who drank at least
1.5 L of carbonated water every day for 15- 30 days had a big
amelioration in their indigestion and constipation compared to people who drank regular tap water. All carbon
dioxide in soda water does not reach the stomach. Much is
lost in the zz when the bottle is opened, and some combines with swallowed air to cause belching and small
amount is rapidly absorbed through the wall of the GI
system.
Since soda water is a liquid, it easily passes down the
oesophagus and the lower oesophageal sphincter relaxes
and opens to allow its entrance into the stomach. The
upper part of stomach relaxes to store the swallowed soda
water. The digestive glands in the stomach lining produce
hydrochloric acid, containing pepsin. Stomach mixes the
digestive juices with soda water. Upon reaching the small
intestine, soda water mixes with secretions produced by
the pancreas and liver.
When the stomach is empty, soda water passes rapidly in
to the duodenum where carbon dioxide is transformed into
bicarbonate. The carbon dioxide dissolved is rapidly released in gaseous form as the uid is warmed. The free
carbon dioxide may be belched if the expanding gas increases the pressure and stimulates the gastric fundus,
triggering the belching mechanism. Distention of gastric
fundus can increase transient lower oesophageal sphincter
relaxation. If the soda water is taken while or after eating it
tends to localize in the upper part of stomach and will
produce feeling of fullness. Hence, carbonated water seems
to inuence stomach function by both mechanical and
chemical effects.
DR. SAINUDEEN PATTAZHY
Environmentalist and Chief Editor
Journal of Scientic Research & Reviews
Kollam, Kerala
CM
YK
FARMERS NOTEBOOK
Open fact
Commercially there are
no machines available for
the oil extraction. A tree
which requires practically
no expense for its care, yet
gives back multifold returns
in terms of leaves, pods,
stem, bark etc needs to be
popularised among farmers
to make them take up its cultivation on a larger scale.
The fact that from one acre
this tree can generate more
than Rs. 1 lakh during peak
season a year is something
which farmers need to experience personally, says Mr.
N. Madhu Balan, agriculture
extension adviser and administrator of Vivasayam
karkalam on face book.
Madurai
Valaiyapatti
moringa is one such variety.
Nearly a decade back not
much information was available on it. Today thanks to
farmers like Mr. K.P. M. Sadaiyandi of Pallipatti, Dindugal, this variety has
become
quite
popular
among farmers in the region.
What is so special about
Only problem
It is a perennial bearer and
can be maintained for more
than 25 years either as a
monocrop or as intercrop in
coconut gardens. The only
problem is during monsoon
or heavy winds the trees tend
to break since their stem is
not strong to withstand the
heavy wind ow.
For an acre as a monocrop,
about 160 seedlings are required to be planted at 5
metre distance between individual seedlings. As an intercrop about 80 seedlings are
sufficient.
The farmer has planted 80
trees as intercrop in his 10acre coconut garden. The
trees are watered through
drip lines and grown organically. Vermicompost, sheep
manure, panchagavya, practically any natural input is used
as manure. Plant extracts like
ginger paste diluted in tur-
15
Recent times
The leachates from the solid waste dumpyard sites pollute ground water. In recent
times people are producing
compost from city waste. The
city waste compost has highest number of the pollutants
including plastics which are
carcinogenic.
Some farmers buy these
materials for soil amendment
/ growth regulator for getting
high yield of the crops. But
these pollutants nd their
way into the food chain and
nally in the products consumed by people. There are
no regulatory mechanisms.
There is an urgent need to
explore the possibilities of
how urban areas could also
support the farmers than instead of seeing urban areas
affecting agriculture.
(Dr. N. Sai Bhaskar Reddy,
Coordinator,
ClimaAdapt
Project, Walamtari, email:
saibhaskamakka@gmail.com,
Mobile:09676799191.)
FARM QUERY
Tamil Nadu
Mr.S.Prasath an engineer from Gobichettipalayam, Erode
district produces about 5 tonnes of bre a month. In a month
he earns Rs. 4,200 as net income from this enterprise. In
addition, he provides employment to 25 agricultural labourers
on a regular basis. To know more contact him on mobile:
9790039998,
Email:
bananabres@yahoo.in
and
info.braydil@gmail.com
Readers are invited to send their queries with full postal address to Farm Queries, The Hindu,
Kasturi Buildings, 859/860, Anna Salai, Chennai 600002 or email to farmqueries@thehindu.co.in
ND-ND
NOIDA/DELHI
THE HINDU
15
SNAPSHOTS
Location matters in the
lowland Amazon
AFP
Of quakes, premature
baby's brain activity
Change in guidelines
Encouraging results
ASHOKE CHAKRABARTY
Climate engineering
may save coral reefs
M. SATHYAMOORTHY
BIGGEST ADVANTAGE: The use of Xpert led to a five-fold increase in rifampicinresistant TB case notification. PHOTO: K. MURALI KUMAR
nose TB in over 10,500 presumptive pulmonary TB
patients; the intervention
phase used Xpert diagnostic
testing on over 70,500 presumptive pulmonary TB
patients.
Unlike smear microscopy,
Xpert has excellent sensitivity and specicity to TB and
can return results in less than
two hours. Besides diagnosing TB, Xpert can tell if a subject has rifampicin drug
resistance.
Strongly indicative
The results strongly suggest that Xpert can substitute
smear microscopy as an initial diagnostic test to diagnose more number of TB
cases and also for diagnosing
Brain-machine interface
to move robotic arm
SHUBASHREE DESIKAN
movement is processed.
The device, a 96-channel
electrode array, was implanted in Sortos brain in 2013 in
the regions of the PPC that
control two actions reach
and grasp. Recordings were
observed for 21 months and
no adverse effects were detected.
For about two years, he
trained himself on how to
move a robotic arm and a cursor on a computer. He had to
imagine a movement of the
arm to the desired position
and thereby learn to control
the movement. With all that
effort, today, he is able to perform some tasks with his robotic arm by thinking about
them.
Though the procedure and
device are not yet ready for
commercial use, the research,
published recently in Science,
represents a huge leap in
brain-machine interfaces, especially in its demonstration
of the role of the PPC. Especially, it holds promise for individuals who have suffered
paralysis due to various
causes.
Scanning kidneys
becomes easy
R. PRASAD
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Landmark paper
And in a landmark paper
that has just been published
in the journal Developmental
Cell (Vol 33, May 26, 2015, pp
l-11), they show that hematopoiesis in the y does not stop
at the pupal stage but continues in the adult y, and the
niche (equivalent of the
bone if you will) are some
clusters on the upper side of
the y abdomen. It is here
that the equivalent of blood
cells is generated and contributes to immunity as well.
It is these hubs in the abdomen that are the precursors
of the vertebrate bone marrow, conclude the Mandals
with parental pride.
D. BALASUBRAMANIAN
dbala@lvpei.org
ND-ND
16
QUESTION CORNER
Bio-diversity conservation
What is the difference between a national park, protected
area, sanctuary and biosphere reserve?
Dr. MOHD YOUNIS
Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir
Due to enormous pressure of the exploding human population, the area of the forests is shrinking and many of the
ora and fauna are on the verge of extinction. Accordingly,
efficient in-situ conservation strategy has been organized
to conserve ecologically important areas by regulating human intervention and thus efforts have established a protected area network.
National park is an area with enough ecological, geomorphological and natural signicance with rich fauna and
ora, which is designed to protect and to develop wildlife or
its environment. The rights of the people living inside this
Category 2 type of protected areas are tightly regulated and
activities like grazing, hunting , forestry or cultivation,
encroachment, destruction of habitats and other activities
are strictly prohibited. But most national parks provide
outdoor recreation, camping opportunities and are designed to educate the public on the importance of conservation activities.
Protected areas are at the core of efforts towards biodiversity conservation, providing habitat and protection
from hunting for threatened and endangered species and
are key to buffering unpredictable impacts of impeding
climate change. Thus, protected areas are geographical
space, recognized, dedicated and managed, through legal or
other effective means, to achieve the long term conservation of nature and cultural values. In protected areas human occupation and exploitation of resources is limited.
Wildlife Sanctuaries or wildlife refuges are home to
various endangered species of wild animals and these animals are safe from hunting, predation or competition. and
safeguarded from extinction in their natural habitat. Wildlife sanctuaries and national parks attract millions of tourists and nature lovers. In Wildlife sanctuaries harvesting
timbers, cultivation, collection of forest products are allowed with permission.
Biosphere Reserves are areas of terrestrial and coastal
ecosystems which are internationally recognized within
the framework of the Man and the Biosphere ( MAB)
programme of the UNESCO and are not formed according
to the guidelines of the Wildlife (protection) Act, 1972 and
may have one more national parks or wildlife sanctuaries
in it. Under the MAB programme there is a World Network
of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR ) and within this network,
exchange of information, experience and personnel is allowed.
DR. SAINUDEEN PATTAZHY
Kollam, Kerala
CM
YK
NOIDA/DELHI
THE HINDU
FARMERS NOTEBOOK
Challenge
It is not necessary for a
farmer to own large areas of
land to earn better income.
In fact revenue generation is
possible even from a few
cents. To make it possible is
both a challenge and an art
which only few kendras have
been able to achieve and one
among them is the one attached to the Central Plantation and Crops Research
Institute
in
Kasargod
(CPCRI), says Dr. T.S. Manoj Kumar Programme
Coordinator.
Mr. Udayan, a temporary
bus driver with the Kerala
State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) was nding it difficult to make both
ends meet as his monthly income was only around Rs.
8,000.
Maintaining a family of
four in todays economic situation is no easy task. His 60
cents of ancestral land is
densely packed with diversied crops such as coconut
palms, pepper, banana, betel
leaf and different vegetables
along with a milch cow.
Racking his brain as to
how to earn some extra income he accidently happened to read in the local
HELPFUL: Honey bees in a garden have been helping to get 30 to 40 per cent
more yield. - PHOTO: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
dailies about training programmes on stingless bee
keeping (Meliponiculture)
being organized by the
Kendra.
Curious and excited he
contacted us to explore the
possibility of starting meliponiculture as a microenterprise since land was one of
the major barriers in taking
up agri enterprises involving
cultivation of crops, says Dr.
Manoj.
Usually bee keeping means
rearing bees with stings in
wooden boxes and training is
given on the art of handling
the insects and honey
extraction.
No easy task
Once completed the participants can collect the queen
bee and the box paying a
amount and start establishing
the colonies in their eld or
garden.
But collecting bees from
the wild called hiving is not so
easy. It is an art which requires patience and skill and
only some gain mastery over
it.
Immediately after attending the training programme,
Mr. Udayan started his venture with the condence that
he can practice hiving. He had
noticed small bees going in
and out of bamboo poles in a
Enterprise
Together they initiated
their enterprise with ve colonies. They started locating
colonies rst by observing
bees and later hiving it at
weekly intervals. From their
experience, they found that in
large areas with wild vegetation, small bees prefer to colonise in dried bamboo poles
as compared to hollows or
cavities of wild trees.
Now, they are able to collect ve to seven colonies a
week. At present, there are
around 95 colonies in their
unit. They have sold 65 colonies at Rs.1200 per colony
and around 25 kg of honey at
rate of Rs.1,500 per kg thereby earning Rs.1,15,000 in the
last six months, explains Dr.
S. Leena, Chief technical
officer.
The honey is marketed under brand name called
Unique honey and is quite
popular since it is extracted
from from stingless bees (also
called dammer bees) is natural and medicinal in quality.
Mulching in tuberose
for weed management
K. INDHUMATHI
& P. S. SHANMUGAM
uberose is an important
traditional ower of India. It is used both as loose
ower and cut ower. The
major constraint in tuberose
cultivation is weed management and about 70-80 per
cent of cultivation cost accounts for weeding.
Plastic mulching is recommended for weed management, if planted under drip
and fertigation system.
Raised beds should be prepared at a height of four feet
and lateral drip laid out along
the centre of the raised beds.
Plastic mulch sheet of 40 micron thickness top silver and
bottom black should be
spread on the raised beds.
sheet is not used then weeding must be done once in 2025 days.
The mulch sheet reduces
the weeding cost by 80 per
cent. The furrows between
the raised beds alone need to
be weeded. The furrow space
is used for daily harvest of the
owers and hence the need
for weeding in that area is also lesser.
Harvesting
Flowers are harvested daily
and about 20 kilograms of
owers can be obtained per
acre per day.
The average cost per kg of
ower is about Rs.40 which
leads to an income of Rs.
24000 per month.
If plastic mulching is not
used, about Rs. 6,000 per
month will be spent for weeding, which is now saved by the
use of plastic mulching.
As a result, the net returns
increases by 40 to 60 per cent
compared to an unmulched
eld. The quality of the owers is also improved since the
soil moisture is maintained
and the plants are of vigour
physiology.
(Dr. K. Indhumathi, Asst
Prof (horticulture) and Dr. P.
S. Shanmugam, Krishi Vigyan
Kendra, Papparapatty, Dharmapuri district 636 809,
email: nilaadoss@gmail.com,
mobile: 09994672204, Phone
: 04342-245860.)
FARM QUERY
Proposal
The Karadka panchayath
has submitted proposal for a
project on creating honey village with the objective of establishing one colony in every
homes which is a similar idea
like every home must grow a
sapling.
To know more about this
interested readers can call
Mr. Udayan, Panoor kochi
house, Karaduka P.O., Muliyar (via), Kasaragod 671 542,
mobile: 8547994801 and Dr.
S. Leena, Chief Technical Ofcer ( Entomology), mobile:
09446062182,
phone:
04994-232993.
Barren land
Is it possible to make my two acre barren land productive?
RAMESH DUGAR
Maharashtra
Mr. Nand Kishore a farmer in Jaisalmeria Rajasthan is able
to earn Rs.41,000 a year from one hectare from cultivating ber
crops. The crop generates constant revenue all through the
year from his land that was considered barren and dry. It is
nearly 35 years since the ber orchard was created and even
now it is well maintained . For more details contact Mr. Nand
Kishore Jaisalmeria, House No. 5, Jaisalmeria ki gali, Nawchokia,
Jodhpur,
Phone:
0291-2622185,
mobile:
07597248866.
Readers are invited to send their queries with full postal address to Farm Queries, The Hindu,
Kasturi Buildings, 859/860, Anna Salai, Chennai 600002 or email to farmqueries@thehindu.co.in
ND-ND