trusciencetrutechnology@blogspot.com
Volume 2018, Issue No.12a, Dated: 16 December, 2108, Time: 08:38:42 AM
December 16, 2018: The infrared satellite AKARI, Visakhapatnam lowest 19.6C, Modeled satellite for country’s Armed forces, Heavy rains over South TN, Cold wave continue to grip Delh.
Professor Dr. Kotcherlakota Lakshmi Narayana,
M.Sc. (Math. Phys.), M.Sc. (Nucl. Phys.), Ph. D. (AU), Int. Edu & Res. (Sweden 1964-65)
While returning from Sweden, spent a few days in England, Paris, Egypt and etc. countries,
Visited USA about 12 Universities, several National Laboratories and Institutes during four months
Sept.to December 1988. and in 1989 visited Japan for about
10 days, and South Korea Conf. in Physics for a week in 1989.
Residential Address: 17- 11-10, Narasimha Ashram, Official Colony,
Maharanipeta. P. O., Visakhapatnam-530002, A.P. Mobile: 09491902867.
kotcherlakota_l_n@hotmail.com; DOB:23-07-1940.
lakshminarayana.kotcherlakota@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
December 17, 2018: Visakhapatnam, Heavy rains accompanied by squally winds ere lashing parts of coastal Andhra Pradesh. // Avatars of Shri Jagannath presented through dance. // Dec. 18, 2918: Using the infrared satellite AKARI, a Japanese research team has detected the existence of water in the form of hydrated minerals in a number of asteroids for the first time. // Temperature at Visakhapatnam lowest 19.6C and maximum 24C. // 19 Dec. 2018: Flowers species named as Nanjinganthusdendrostyla existed 50 million years ago, the team studied 364 specimens of individual flowers preserved on 34 rock slabs revealed a cup-form receptacle and ovarian roof that encloses the ovules/seeds. // December 20, 2018: 05:50 PM: Cold wave conditions to grip Madhya Pradesh. // With the mission life of eight years, the 2,250-kilogram geostationary communication satellite which is modeled on the GSAT-7 satellite built for the Indian Navy is meant to strengthen country’s Armed forces communication capabilities. // Dec 22, 2018: Heavy rains over South TN, Cold wave continue to grip Delhi. //23 December 2018: M-type star named as NGTSJ121939.5-355557. It is roughly the size of our Sun. Intense solar flare released a bunch of X-rays capable of farming building blocks of planets, or destroy the existing ones, astronomers term it as the largest solar flare ever on record. // Dec 24, 2018: 2:35 am IST: Lakes surrounding Chennai drying up, Satellite Images as Proof. Chennai is staring at a 54%-deficit in rainfall and lakes surrounding the city, which are important sources of water, are drying up. there are 3600 water bodies in Kanchipuram, Chennai and Tiruvallur districts, and 4,100 including those in Arakkonam. // Dec. 26, 2018:10:46AM: Slight tremors felt in Jammu and Kashmir. The quake with its epicenter in the Jammu and Kashmir region was felt at 9.52 a.m. and it originated at a depth of 15 km inside the earth. // Dec. 27, 2018: Visakhapatnam beach has receded back considerably exposing the ocean coast for fun and play. // 28.12.18, 3:34 AM: Navodaya schools allowed to hire Sanskrit teachers on demand. NVS, which runs residential schools in rural areas, allowed to hire Sanskrit teachers if more than 15 students opt for it. This month the NVS issued a letter to its 600-odd schools clarifying that if 15 students in a school opt to learn Sanskrit, the principal can hire a teacher on contract. // December 29, 2018, 09:38 IST: Lava-Like Eruption From Electric Pole Leaves Tripura Villagers Scared. Agartala: A volcanic lava-like inflammable liquid has been reportedly coming out of the ground in Tripura's Jalifa village and has triggered panic among the local residents of the area. // 08:32 AM: Odisha seeks Rs 1,534 crore Central aid for drought-hit farmers. // 20:50 IST:42-Carat Diamond Found In Madhya Pradesh's Panna Sold For Rs. 2.55 Crore. // 30/12/2018: Novel powder to help cut CO2 emissions. TORONTO: Scientists have created a novel powder that can capture carbon dioxide emissions from factories and power plants. //
Cyclone
Fig.1 Tamil Nadu, Andhra and Odisha Cyclone of 16 & 17 Dec. 2018
December 17, 2018: Visakhapatnam, Heavy rains accompanied by squally winds were lashing parts of coastal Andhra Pradesh on Monday as the severe cyclonic storm 'Phethai' is set to hit the coast near Kakinada later in the day. Incessant rains were lashing East Godavari, West Godavari, Krishna, and Guntur districts since Sunday night under the impact of Phethai in the Bay of Bengal. Squally winds have uprooted trees and electricity poles in some places. Electricity supply to Kakinada town and several other parts of East Godavari district was snapped. The meteorologists have asked people to remain indoors during the landfall of the storm. Cyclone Phethai wreaks havoc in Andhra, crops across 14,000 hectares damaged and 26,000 metric tonnes of agricultural produce had been destroyed. The highest rainfall in the state on Monday was recorded at 160mm in Tallarevu. The cyclone, the second to hit Andhra coast this year, had its impact on seven out of nine coastal districts. The rains inundated roads and low-lying areas in Vijayawada, bringing vehicular traffic to a halt. 'Phethai' also had an impact on neighboring Telangana state with heavy rains lashing many districts. Paddy, cotton and other agriculture produce brought by farmers to the markets for sale were damaged.
Fig.2 Cheapest flights from Visakhapatnam
December 17, 2018, 8:17 pm:
December 17, 2018: In a first, India flies military aircraft using blended bio-jet fuel. On July 27, Air Force Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa had announced an intention to promote bio-jet fuel. Addressing a seminar on promoting indigenous technologies, Dhanoa had stated that Air Force intended to fly the AN-32 with 10 percent bio-jet fuel during next year's Republic Day celebrations.
December 18, 2018: 14.40 pm:
Fig.3 Avatars of Shri Jagannath through Dance
Avatars of Shri Jagannath presented through dance. The Bhopalites enjoyed a delightful musical and dance evening on Sunday. At Madhya Pradesh State Tribal Museum, Odissi dance and violin recital was held marking the Uttaradhikar series. December 17, 2018: In a first, India flies military aircraft using blended bio-jet fuel. On July 27, Air Force Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa had announced an intention to promote bio-jet fuel. Addressing a seminar on promoting indigenous technologies, Dhanoa had stated that Air Force intended to fly the AN-32 with 10 percent bio-jet fuel during next year's Republic Day celebrations.
December 18, 2018: 14.40 pm:
Fig.3a Academic programmes being offered at the Leh
Prof Talat to visit Leh campus tomorrow. To chair student outreach programme, review its functioning. He said the day-long programme is aimed at raising awareness among various stakeholders about academic programmes being offered at the Leh campus with the larger objective of making the institution academically more vibrant.
Dec 18, 2018, 1:08 am IST: Hyderabad: We-Hub’s Sivi sets up shop at Metro station. In a first, the We-Hub start-up Sivi, a digital aggregator of personal care services, launched their outlet last week at Ameerpet Metro Rail station to cater to the transit-oriented lifestyle of commuters.
18 December 2018: 11:52 AM: Cyclone Phethai: Odisha rains to continue for 24 hours with reduced intensity. In fact, this system even weakened before making its landfall and has currently become a well-marked low-pressure area. Thus, we can say that even though Phethai showed rapid weakening and movement, it managed to give heavy rains over Odisha and its adjoining states. During the last 24 hours, heavy rains were observed over most parts of Odisha especially the interior districts. In the last 24 hours from 08:30 am on Monday, Jharsuguda recorded 78 mm of rain, followed by Sambalpur 74 mm, Keongjhargarh 68 mm, Koraput 57 mm, Angul and Gopalpur 55 mm, Bhawanipatna 44 mm and Pulbani 42 mm.
18 December 2018: Eating green leafy vegetables in larger portion daily may reduce the risk of developing fatty liver disease. Green leafy vegetables contain inorganic nitrate that can help prevent the accumulation of fat in the liver.
18 Dec. 2018: Indian exports to Bangladesh are set to cross $9 billion this year, while it imports only $900 million worth of goods from the country – making it India’s ninth largest trading partner. India exports more to this neighborhood than to all of Latin America and if you do not consider the service industry, quite possibly more than the United States too. There were at least half a million Indians working in Bangladesh as mid- and top-level executives in 2009, according to the Bangladesh government. It is impossible to estimate this number (TV reporters have claimed the number is more than double) or exactly how much they remit to India, as these cash flows are mostly unregulated. According to Silicon India, this number could be as high as $3.7 billion per year.
December 18, 2018, 9:48 pm: New Delhi/Mumbai, A delegation representing the film and entertainment industry on Tuesday called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Mumbai. The delegation, that included Bollywood actors Akshay Kumar and Ajay Devgan, producer Rakesh Roshan, writer-lyricist Prasoon Joshi, filmmakers Karan Johar, and Siddhartha Roy Kapur, expressed its strong support of the Prime Minister’s vision for making India a five trillion dollar economy in the near future.
December 18, 2018: 10:37 PM: Telecom Secretary Aruna Sundararajan has directed state-owned BBNL and BSNL to initiate disciplinary action against officials who failed to fix non-functional broadband equipment under the ambitious BharatNet project.
December 19, 2018: 03:14 IST: Air Force Lifts Record Load In 6 Hours From Chandigarh To Ladakh. The effort was accomplished with the aid of a fleet of 16 fixed-wing transport aircraft comprising of C-17 Globemaster, the Ilyushin-76 Gajraj and the Medium lift Tactical aircraft, Antonov-32.
19 December 2018: Astronomy fans watch ‘comet 46P’ at the shortest distance from earth. When 46P, a short period comet belonging to Jupiter family, was at the shortest distance from earth on Sunday, a group of astronomy enthusiasts in Trichy traveled all the way to Kodaikanal to view it through a telescope. However, cloud isolation over Trichy ruled out such a possibility following which he decided to visit Kodaikanal with his friends. They saw the comet going very close to Pleiades star cluster, also known as seven sisters. It is now visible in northern hemisphere.46P is one among the smallest for it is just 1.2 km in diameter. California Nebula, a giant cloud of dust and gas in space, was also seen along with the comet.“46P is among the 10 closest comet approaches to have occurred since 1950 to be visible across the earth.
December 20, 2018: With the mission life of eight years, the 2,250-kilogram geostationary communication satellite which is modeled on the GSAT-7 satellite built for the Indian Navy is meant to strengthen country’s Armed forces communication capabilities. This 39th Indian communication satellite of ISRO will provide communication capability to users in Ku-band frequency over the whole Indian region. Importance for Indian Airforce: The successful launch of the satellite will end the long pending demand of Indian Defence forces as the satellite will act as a force multiplier by interlinking all assets like ground radar stations, airbases and airborne early warning control aircraft (AWACS), drones and ground stations, fighter planes etc. The interlinking will provide for better network-centric capabilities for Indian Air Force which will impart expertise to our Airforce in detection of aircraft from a long distance, facilitating better air-to-air and air to surface communication between aircrafts, strengthening of surveillance system etc. The satellite once in the orbit will also control and enhance the range of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and drones so that they can attack their targets more precisely.
December 20, 2018: 05:50 PM: Cold wave conditions to grip Madhya Pradesh; haze likely over Gujarat, Maharashtra. During the last 24 hours, dry weather prevailed over the entire region. Moreover, the moderate fog was also observed over some places of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Meanwhile, cold wave conditions are prevailing over western parts of Madhya Pradesh. Talking region wise, in West Madhya Pradesh, minimums over Betul has been recorded at 4.5℃, below normal by 5.4℃, while 3.6℃ over Data, below normal by 4.1℃. The beautiful hill station- ‘Pachmari’ in Madhya Pradesh has recorded temperatures around 2℃. In East Madhya Pradesh, Khajuraho has recorded the lowest minimum at 2.4℃, which is below normal by 6.7℃, followed by Nowgong at 4℃, below normal by 4.3℃. Coming towards Vidarbha region, Nagpur has recorded minimums around 8.6℃, below normal by 3.9℃ while Brahmpuri at 9.9℃, below normal by 3.9℃.
December 21, 2018: 03:57 PM: Dry weather to reappear over Northeast India, a rise in maximums likely.
December 21, 2018: Trump passes act forcing China to let US nationals enter Tibet. The law is supposed to ensure that American nationals are given the same amount access to China occupied Tibet, as the Chinese enjoy within American territories. The Communist regime of China very rarely allows foreign nationals inside Tibetan territory. And even those who are granted entry, are kept under strict surveillance.
21 December 2018: Science Says: WASHINGTON (AP) A big space crash likely made Uranus lopsided. Uranus is a lopsided oddity, the only planet to spin on its side. Scientists now think they know how it got that way: It was pushed over by a rock at least twice as big as Earth.
Dec 22, 2018: Heavy rains over South TN, Cold wave continue to grip Delhi. Delhi continues to battle chilly nights, with minimum temperatures refusing to rise above 5°C for the last many days. Friday morning was no different as the minimum temperature settled at 4.7°C, which was four degrees below the normal range, according to skymet. The extended outlook indicates that these conditions might continue until the end of the month over the country, broken briefly by a circulation in the Bay of Bengal approaching the Tamil Nadu coast. Chennai Meanwhile, in the South, a sea-based circulation (trough of low) approaching peninsular India (initially the Tamil Nadu coast) may trigger rainfall of varying intensity from Saturday to Monday.
December 22, 2018:12:56PM; Sripada Venksta Chalam, M.A (Economics) M.Sc. (Statistics) currently retired as a Deputy Commissioner Statistics 1997, Delhi, Ministry of Agriculture Government of India, joined in 1963, joined India Statistical Service in 1974, Chandigarh and Delhi.
December 22, 2018: Chennai resident grows native plant species at home. For J Mohaneswari, a longtime resident of Vyasar Street, situated off North Usman Road, growing native plants is not just a hobby, but a way to creates awareness about using such species to save upcoming generations from adulterated food. News Today makes a visit to her home garden that boasts of tiny herbal plants like tulsi, mint, insulin plant, keelanalli to big ones like guava, papaya, drumstick, plantain and so on. Sharing her thoughts, she says, “I was born and brought up here in T Nagar. I gave serious thought of promoting native plants after the floods that hit the city in 2015. My house too was flooded like that of many others, and the plants that were here were all washed away. After this incident, I did my research and procured native seeds of various vegetables and fruits from across the State and planted them.
23 December 2018: 222 dead as the volcano-triggered tsunami hits Indonesia. Hundreds of buildings were destroyed by the wave, which hit the coast of southern Sumatra and the western tip of Java about 9:30 pm (1430 GMT) on Saturday after a volcano is known as the "child" of Krakatoa erupted. "I had to run, as the wave passed the beach and landed 15-20m inland. (The) next wave entered the hotel area where I was staying and downed cars on the road behind it.
23 December 2018: At 3.7 degrees C, Delhi records coldest December day in 12 years.
December 23, 2018: 17:58 IST: Himalayan Glaciers Retreating At Alarming Rate. Quoting media reports, the committee said due to glacial retreat, the Himalayan region has lost 13 percent of its glaciers in the last four decades resulting in loss of 443 billion tonnes (GT) glacial ice.if the same rate continues it is apprehended that the glaciers are likely to disappear by the year 2035. It is also reported that the rate of glacial loss in the Himalayas has accelerated over the decades, from around 9 GT/year in 1975-85 to 20 Gt/year in 2000-2010. Glaciers are reported to be retreating faster in Western Himalayas than in Sikkim and asserted that the effect of glacial retreat and their eventual disappearance will change the weather pattern and be catastrophic for the entire region affecting crop cycles, economic development, health, water availability.
Dec 23, 2018: 13:39 IST: Defence Minister inaugurates Indian Navy's Information Fusion Centre. The IFC – IOR shall be a collaborative construct that will work with partners, countries as well as international agencies to enhance maritime security and safety.
Dec 24, 2018: 2:35 am IST: Lakes surrounding Chennai drying up, Satellite Images as Proof. Chennai is staring at a 54%-deficit in rainfall and lakes surrounding the city, which are important sources of water, are drying up. there are 3600 water bodies in Kanchipuram, Chennai and Tiruvallur districts, and 4,100 including those in Arakkonam.
Dec 24, 2018, 01:58 AM IST: Guntur-Tenali track doubling project likely to be completed by Feb 2019.
December 24, 2018: 8:19 PM: Italy's Mount Etna erupts, authorities close the airport. A chain of around 130 earth tremors have rocked the volcano since around 0800 GMT on Monday, Italy’s National Institute for Geophysics and Volcanology said, with the strongest posting a magnitude of 4.0.
December 24, 2018: 13:37 IST: Srinagar records the coldest night in 11 years, plunges to minus 6.8C.
December 24, 2018: 12:12 IST: Pollutants from various sources have been superficially depositing on the marble surface of Taj Mahal as particulate matters and due to scattering of light by these particles, the marble surface of Taj Mahal appears to have changed in color.
Dec 24, 2018: 18:45 PM IST: Tier 1 Engineering, a company working to develop an electric helicopter, recently made it to the Guinness World Records for the farthest flight for an electric helicopter. Starting at Los Alamitos Army Airfield, the helicopter managed to cover more than 55 km (30 nautical miles) in over 22 minutes, clocking a speed of around 150 km/h at a height of 800 feet.
Dec 24, 2018: 05.07 PM IST: Russian and Indian researchers have published a paper detailing their findings. They refute a widespread theory that iron in such deposits came into the sea from the eroded mountainous areas of the ancient continents. Experts instead suggest that emissions of the solutions containing iron could have broken through the seabed and they could be the source of iron. The Bakchar ironstone deposit is known as one of the most promising in the West Siberia iron ore basin, which in turn is one of the most promising in the West Siberia iron ore basin, which in turn is one of the world’s largest deposits. The total reserves of the West Siberia iron ore basin have been estimated at 400 billion tons.
Fig.5 Indian-Science-Congress-2019-LPU-Jalandhar.
December 24, 2018:20:21: Tribal Life: How reviving traditional farming helped Kerala tribal communities become healthy. Due to poverty and dependence on government rations, the communities had become malnourished and prone to several non-communicable diseases. But they soon realized that the solution to their woes was in their past.
18 Dec. 2018: Indian exports to Bangladesh are set to cross $9 billion this year, while it imports only $900 million worth of goods from the country – making it India’s ninth largest trading partner. India exports more to this neighborhood than to all of Latin America and if you do not consider the service industry, quite possibly more than the United States too. There were at least half a million Indians working in Bangladesh as mid- and top-level executives in 2009, according to the Bangladesh government. It is impossible to estimate this number (TV reporters have claimed the number is more than double) or exactly how much they remit to India, as these cash flows are mostly unregulated. According to Silicon India, this number could be as high as $3.7 billion per year.
December 18, 2018, 9:48 pm: New Delhi/Mumbai, A delegation representing the film and entertainment industry on Tuesday called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Mumbai. The delegation, that included Bollywood actors Akshay Kumar and Ajay Devgan, producer Rakesh Roshan, writer-lyricist Prasoon Joshi, filmmakers Karan Johar, and Siddhartha Roy Kapur, expressed its strong support of the Prime Minister’s vision for making India a five trillion dollar economy in the near future.
December 18, 2018: 10:37 PM: Telecom Secretary Aruna Sundararajan has directed state-owned BBNL and BSNL to initiate disciplinary action against officials who failed to fix non-functional broadband equipment under the ambitious BharatNet project.
December 18, 2018, 11:31 pm: At 19, He Moved From UK to Puducherry. Today, His Organic Farm Is Smashing Stereotypes! 25 years ago, when this young teenager with no degree made the journey from England to Tamil Nadu, he hardly had an idea about how life-altering the decision would be.
December 18, 2018: Using the infrared satellite AKARI, a Japanese research team has detected the existence of water in the form of hydrated minerals in a number of asteroids for the first time. This discovery will contribute to our understanding of the distribution of water in our solar system, the evolution of asteroids, and the origin of water on Earth. The Japanese infrared satellite AKARI, launched in February 2006, was equipped with the Infrared Camera (IRC) that allowed us to obtain spectra at near-infrared wavelengths from 2 to 5 micrometers. Using this unique function, the spectroscopic observations of 66 asteroids were carried out and their near-infrared spectra were obtained. This provides the first opportunity to study the features of hydrated minerals in asteroids at around the wavelength of 2.7 micrometers. The observations detected absorption, which was attributed to hydrated minerals for 17 C-type asteroids. C-type asteroids, which appear dark at visible wavelengths, were believed to be rich in water and organic material, but the present observations with AKARI are the first to directly confirm the presence of hydrated minerals in these asteroids. The absorption strength detected at around 2.7 micrometers varies for each asteroid, and some show absorption features of other substances, such as water ice and ammonia-rich material at around 3.1 micrometers.
December 18, 2018: Using the infrared satellite AKARI, a Japanese research team has detected the existence of water in the form of hydrated minerals in a number of asteroids for the first time. This discovery will contribute to our understanding of the distribution of water in our solar system, the evolution of asteroids, and the origin of water on Earth. The Japanese infrared satellite AKARI, launched in February 2006, was equipped with the Infrared Camera (IRC) that allowed us to obtain spectra at near-infrared wavelengths from 2 to 5 micrometers. Using this unique function, the spectroscopic observations of 66 asteroids were carried out and their near-infrared spectra were obtained. This provides the first opportunity to study the features of hydrated minerals in asteroids at around the wavelength of 2.7 micrometers. The observations detected absorption, which was attributed to hydrated minerals for 17 C-type asteroids. C-type asteroids, which appear dark at visible wavelengths, were believed to be rich in water and organic material, but the present observations with AKARI are the first to directly confirm the presence of hydrated minerals in these asteroids. The absorption strength detected at around 2.7 micrometers varies for each asteroid, and some show absorption features of other substances, such as water ice and ammonia-rich material at around 3.1 micrometers.
18 Dec. 2018: Temperature at Visakhapatnam lowest 19.6C and maximum 24C. After witnessed heavy rain in the city, on Monday it made landfall at the south of Kakinada, the sky remained cloudy with drizzling rain throughout the Monday and Tuesday. A few days ago it dropped to 15C. Till 48 hours it survived. On Dec.30, 1970 Visakhapatnam recorded 12.9C. Lowest was 10.5C on Jan. 6, 1962. North India winds, shivering the Andhra State. Kargil recorded -15.8C, Leh -15.1C, Srinagar -4.6C, Punjab -1C, Punjab and Haryana recorded 6C, Maharashtra north side it recorded 6.8C.
December 18, 2018: At the Kochi Biennale, eat to archive India’s rare strains of rice. Edible Archives project wants to make rice the hero of the meal. December 19, 2018: 03:14 IST: Air Force Lifts Record Load In 6 Hours From Chandigarh To Ladakh. The effort was accomplished with the aid of a fleet of 16 fixed-wing transport aircraft comprising of C-17 Globemaster, the Ilyushin-76 Gajraj and the Medium lift Tactical aircraft, Antonov-32.
19 December 2018: Astronomy fans watch ‘comet 46P’ at the shortest distance from earth. When 46P, a short period comet belonging to Jupiter family, was at the shortest distance from earth on Sunday, a group of astronomy enthusiasts in Trichy traveled all the way to Kodaikanal to view it through a telescope. However, cloud isolation over Trichy ruled out such a possibility following which he decided to visit Kodaikanal with his friends. They saw the comet going very close to Pleiades star cluster, also known as seven sisters. It is now visible in northern hemisphere.46P is one among the smallest for it is just 1.2 km in diameter. California Nebula, a giant cloud of dust and gas in space, was also seen along with the comet.“46P is among the 10 closest comet approaches to have occurred since 1950 to be visible across the earth.
19 Dec. 2018: The major attainment of the government was when it achieved all the necessary permissions required for one of India's largest lift irrigation projects the Kaleshwaram. The project had got environmental and forest stage-1 and stage -2 clearances from Union Ministry of Environment and Forests. Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) of the CWC approved the proposals to utilize 237 TMC of water. Financial feasibility report and economic benefits to the people under the project were also approved.
19 Dec. 2018: Flowers species named as Nanjinganthusdendrostyla existed 50 million years ago, the team studied 364 specimens of individual flowers preserved on 34 rock slabs revealed a cup-form receptacle and ovarian roof that encloses the ovules/seeds.
Dec 20, 2018, 20:36 IST: Stones hurled at India’s fastest train on trial run; its top speed 181 kmph. The Railways’ fastest train - Train 18, which is scheduled to be flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 29, was pelted with stones on Thursday during a trial run between Delhi and Agra.December 20, 2018: With the mission life of eight years, the 2,250-kilogram geostationary communication satellite which is modeled on the GSAT-7 satellite built for the Indian Navy is meant to strengthen country’s Armed forces communication capabilities. This 39th Indian communication satellite of ISRO will provide communication capability to users in Ku-band frequency over the whole Indian region. Importance for Indian Airforce: The successful launch of the satellite will end the long pending demand of Indian Defence forces as the satellite will act as a force multiplier by interlinking all assets like ground radar stations, airbases and airborne early warning control aircraft (AWACS), drones and ground stations, fighter planes etc. The interlinking will provide for better network-centric capabilities for Indian Air Force which will impart expertise to our Airforce in detection of aircraft from a long distance, facilitating better air-to-air and air to surface communication between aircrafts, strengthening of surveillance system etc. The satellite once in the orbit will also control and enhance the range of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and drones so that they can attack their targets more precisely.
December 20, 2018: 05:50 PM: Cold wave conditions to grip Madhya Pradesh; haze likely over Gujarat, Maharashtra. During the last 24 hours, dry weather prevailed over the entire region. Moreover, the moderate fog was also observed over some places of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Meanwhile, cold wave conditions are prevailing over western parts of Madhya Pradesh. Talking region wise, in West Madhya Pradesh, minimums over Betul has been recorded at 4.5℃, below normal by 5.4℃, while 3.6℃ over Data, below normal by 4.1℃. The beautiful hill station- ‘Pachmari’ in Madhya Pradesh has recorded temperatures around 2℃. In East Madhya Pradesh, Khajuraho has recorded the lowest minimum at 2.4℃, which is below normal by 6.7℃, followed by Nowgong at 4℃, below normal by 4.3℃. Coming towards Vidarbha region, Nagpur has recorded minimums around 8.6℃, below normal by 3.9℃ while Brahmpuri at 9.9℃, below normal by 3.9℃.
Dec 20, 2018, 17:31 PM IST:
Fig.4 R1 brings a grocery to home.
An unmanned on-road vehicle called R1 now brings the grocery for those that order from Kroger. The vehicle has been designed to take much less space on the road than any of the passenger cars. The R1 has also been specifically designed for the purpose and from the ground up, so it also offers convenience in loading and unloading the groceries.
December 20, 2018, 18:06 IST: Ruckus says govt vertical growing fast in India, courtesy smart city WiFi deployments. WiFi technology provider Ruckus Networks said that its business from the government vertical is growing fast in the country and has started to contribute towards its overall India revenue due to new WiFi deployments under various smart city projects.December 21, 2018: 03:57 PM: Dry weather to reappear over Northeast India, a rise in maximums likely.
December 21, 2018: Trump passes act forcing China to let US nationals enter Tibet. The law is supposed to ensure that American nationals are given the same amount access to China occupied Tibet, as the Chinese enjoy within American territories. The Communist regime of China very rarely allows foreign nationals inside Tibetan territory. And even those who are granted entry, are kept under strict surveillance.
21 December 2018: Science Says: WASHINGTON (AP) A big space crash likely made Uranus lopsided. Uranus is a lopsided oddity, the only planet to spin on its side. Scientists now think they know how it got that way: It was pushed over by a rock at least twice as big as Earth.
Dec 22, 2018: Heavy rains over South TN, Cold wave continue to grip Delhi. Delhi continues to battle chilly nights, with minimum temperatures refusing to rise above 5°C for the last many days. Friday morning was no different as the minimum temperature settled at 4.7°C, which was four degrees below the normal range, according to skymet. The extended outlook indicates that these conditions might continue until the end of the month over the country, broken briefly by a circulation in the Bay of Bengal approaching the Tamil Nadu coast. Chennai Meanwhile, in the South, a sea-based circulation (trough of low) approaching peninsular India (initially the Tamil Nadu coast) may trigger rainfall of varying intensity from Saturday to Monday.
December 22, 2018:12:56PM; Sripada Venksta Chalam, M.A (Economics) M.Sc. (Statistics) currently retired as a Deputy Commissioner Statistics 1997, Delhi, Ministry of Agriculture Government of India, joined in 1963, joined India Statistical Service in 1974, Chandigarh and Delhi.
December 22, 2018: Chennai resident grows native plant species at home. For J Mohaneswari, a longtime resident of Vyasar Street, situated off North Usman Road, growing native plants is not just a hobby, but a way to creates awareness about using such species to save upcoming generations from adulterated food. News Today makes a visit to her home garden that boasts of tiny herbal plants like tulsi, mint, insulin plant, keelanalli to big ones like guava, papaya, drumstick, plantain and so on. Sharing her thoughts, she says, “I was born and brought up here in T Nagar. I gave serious thought of promoting native plants after the floods that hit the city in 2015. My house too was flooded like that of many others, and the plants that were here were all washed away. After this incident, I did my research and procured native seeds of various vegetables and fruits from across the State and planted them.
23 December 2018: 222 dead as the volcano-triggered tsunami hits Indonesia. Hundreds of buildings were destroyed by the wave, which hit the coast of southern Sumatra and the western tip of Java about 9:30 pm (1430 GMT) on Saturday after a volcano is known as the "child" of Krakatoa erupted. "I had to run, as the wave passed the beach and landed 15-20m inland. (The) next wave entered the hotel area where I was staying and downed cars on the road behind it.
23 December 2018: At 3.7 degrees C, Delhi records coldest December day in 12 years.
December 23, 2018: 17:58 IST: Himalayan Glaciers Retreating At Alarming Rate. Quoting media reports, the committee said due to glacial retreat, the Himalayan region has lost 13 percent of its glaciers in the last four decades resulting in loss of 443 billion tonnes (GT) glacial ice.if the same rate continues it is apprehended that the glaciers are likely to disappear by the year 2035. It is also reported that the rate of glacial loss in the Himalayas has accelerated over the decades, from around 9 GT/year in 1975-85 to 20 Gt/year in 2000-2010. Glaciers are reported to be retreating faster in Western Himalayas than in Sikkim and asserted that the effect of glacial retreat and their eventual disappearance will change the weather pattern and be catastrophic for the entire region affecting crop cycles, economic development, health, water availability.
23 December 2018: Bamboo shoots: Plants of nutrition and employment. Fermented bamboo shoots are a delicacy in the Northeast. They can also become a viable livelihood activity. Young bamboo shoots of almost all species are eaten in various forms and people have developed techniques and methods to preserve and process bamboo shoots for long-term use as well. Forest dwellers collect the shoots and they consume it either raw or ferment it to increase its shelf life. In Manipur, bamboo is locally known as soibum. It is used to make chutneys locally known as eromba and singzu. Fermented bamboo shoots are a compulsory part of festivals such as Ningol Chakkouba when married women return to their parent’s house to revive family traditions. I had the pleasure of eating bamboo soots as a nutritious dish in Japan, Masayoshi Kojima, served them to me at dinner.
23 December 2018: M-type star named as NGTSJ121939.5-355557. It is roughly the size of our Sun. Intense solar flare released a bunch of X-rays capable of farming building blocks of planets, or destroy the existing ones, astronomers term it as the largest solar flare ever on record. One of the largest ever seen on a star of its type, the huge explosion of energy and plasma is around 10,000 times bigger than the largest solar flare ever recorded from our own Sun. The discovery is detailed in a paper for the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society and reveals how this huge ‘tantrum’ could even perturb the material orbiting a star which would create the building blocks for future planets. The flare was seen on a young M-type star named NGTS J121939.5-355557, located 685 light years away. At around 2 million years old, it is what astronomers refer to as a pre-main sequence star which is yet to reach the size that it spends the majority of its lifecycle. A stellar flare occurs when the magnetic field of a star rearranges itself, releasing huge amounts of energy in the process. This accelerates charged particles, or plasma, within the star which crash into its surface, heating it up to around 10,000 degrees. That energy produces optical and infra-red light, but also x-rays and gamma rays that can be picked up by telescopes on Earth and in orbit. Magnetic fields on M stars are a lot stronger than those on our own sun and the astronomers calculated that this size of flare is a rare event, occurring anywhere from every three years to twice a decade.
December 23, 2018: India recently witnessed massive farmers’ rally demanding relief. One dominant feature of these rallies was the presence of women farmers in large number. Their split, cracked bloody feet which bore witness to their hardships left many across the country stunned. While most mainstream news channels downplayed the importance of these rallies and emphasized on other trivial matters, few channels did manage to put a spotlight on them and focus more on the plight of women farmers. Women farmers across the states shared similar stories and most had to do with non-recognition of women as farmers.Dec 23, 2018: 13:39 IST: Defence Minister inaugurates Indian Navy's Information Fusion Centre. The IFC – IOR shall be a collaborative construct that will work with partners, countries as well as international agencies to enhance maritime security and safety.
Dec 24, 2018: 2:35 am IST: Lakes surrounding Chennai drying up, Satellite Images as Proof. Chennai is staring at a 54%-deficit in rainfall and lakes surrounding the city, which are important sources of water, are drying up. there are 3600 water bodies in Kanchipuram, Chennai and Tiruvallur districts, and 4,100 including those in Arakkonam.
Dec 24, 2018, 01:58 AM IST: Guntur-Tenali track doubling project likely to be completed by Feb 2019.
December 24, 2018: 8:19 PM: Italy's Mount Etna erupts, authorities close the airport. A chain of around 130 earth tremors have rocked the volcano since around 0800 GMT on Monday, Italy’s National Institute for Geophysics and Volcanology said, with the strongest posting a magnitude of 4.0.
December 24, 2018: 13:37 IST: Srinagar records the coldest night in 11 years, plunges to minus 6.8C.
December 24, 2018: 12:12 IST: Pollutants from various sources have been superficially depositing on the marble surface of Taj Mahal as particulate matters and due to scattering of light by these particles, the marble surface of Taj Mahal appears to have changed in color.
Dec 24, 2018: 18:45 PM IST: Tier 1 Engineering, a company working to develop an electric helicopter, recently made it to the Guinness World Records for the farthest flight for an electric helicopter. Starting at Los Alamitos Army Airfield, the helicopter managed to cover more than 55 km (30 nautical miles) in over 22 minutes, clocking a speed of around 150 km/h at a height of 800 feet.
Dec 24, 2018: 05.07 PM IST: Russian and Indian researchers have published a paper detailing their findings. They refute a widespread theory that iron in such deposits came into the sea from the eroded mountainous areas of the ancient continents. Experts instead suggest that emissions of the solutions containing iron could have broken through the seabed and they could be the source of iron. The Bakchar ironstone deposit is known as one of the most promising in the West Siberia iron ore basin, which in turn is one of the most promising in the West Siberia iron ore basin, which in turn is one of the world’s largest deposits. The total reserves of the West Siberia iron ore basin have been estimated at 400 billion tons.
December 24, 2018:
Narendra Modi to inaugurate 106th Indian Science Congress at LPU campus. Lovely Professional University (LPU), India’s largest private university, will host the 106th Indian Science Congress at its campus in Phagwara near Jalandhar from January 3 to 7, 2019. The present author has given two papers for presentation at the ISC106. They are 1. Diverse Manifestation of Earth: Dr. Kotcherlakota Lakshmi Narayana, for Physics Session,2019 and 2. CYCLIC AND V4 KLEIN GROUP ANALYSIS TO DESCRIBE VARIED MASS TERMS: Professor Dr. Kotcherlakota. L. N., for Mathematics and Statistics session: trusciencetrutechnology@blogspot.com.
December 24, 2018: 17:46 IST: The Kuiper Belt object, referred to as 2014 MU69, nicknamed Ultima Thule and more than 6.5 billion km from Earth. December 24, 2018:20:21: Tribal Life: How reviving traditional farming helped Kerala tribal communities become healthy. Due to poverty and dependence on government rations, the communities had become malnourished and prone to several non-communicable diseases. But they soon realized that the solution to their woes was in their past.
24 December 2018:
Fig.6 Sound Waves to levitate.
Scientists ‘Sew’ with Just Sound Waves. Scientists have successfully used sound waves to levitate and manipulate multiple objects simultaneously for the first time, using the system to "sew" a thread into a piece of fabric. The system could be used to acoustically stitch up internal injuries or deliver drugs to target organs. Sound exerts a small acoustic force and by turning up the volume of ultrasonic waves, too high pitched for humans to hear, scientists create a sound field strong enough to move small objects.
December 25, 2018: 19:32 highlights: Indonesia tsunami toll hits 429 as rain hampers rescue efforts.
December 25, 2018: 19:32 highlights: Indonesia tsunami toll hits 429 as rain hampers rescue efforts.
Fig.7 Bogibeel, not just a bridge, it’s a lifeline.
‘Bogibeel, not just a bridge, it’s a lifeline’, says PM Modi. Bogibeel bridge, to be inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi on late PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s birth anniversary is India’s longest rail-cum-road bridge. It will reduce the travel time for goods trains by three hours. Inaugurating the bridge that connects Dhemaji and Dibrugarh, Modi and his cavalcade took a ride, stopping in the middle and waving at thousands of people waiting on either side. Built at an estimated cost of over Rs 5,000 crore, the bridge is expected to help over five million people living in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh and significantly enhance India's defense capability by ensuring faster movement of troops and supplies to the eastern border with China.
Dec 25, 2018, 8:39 PM (IST): Fog disrupts air, rail traffic; air quality 'severe' in Delhi. December 26, 2018: In a year when markets have sunk across the world, Modi’s India shines, tops China in corporate deals. The numbers in the Wall Street Journal also tell a story that is quite opposite to the narrative that some people with an agenda have been feeding the public for a while now. The Wall Street Journal has found that India, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with $92 billion in corporate deals has moved ahead of China as a favored target.
December 26, 2018: A milk co-operative society secretary was robbed of Rs 14.80 lakh by two unidentified robbers near Tarnetar village of Than taluka in Surendranagar district in Gujarat. Police said the robbers had been following Khima Rabari (55) ever since he withdrew a large amount of cash from the Thangadh branch of the State Bank of India (SBI) meant to be paid to the milk traders associated with the co-operative society. Robbers threw chili powder in his eyes and robbed him of his bag containing the cash.
Dec 26, 2018: 10:46AM: Slight tremors felt in Jammu and Kashmir. The quake with its epicenter in the Jammu and Kashmir region was felt at 9.52 a.m. and it originated at a depth of 15 km inside the earth.
Dec 25, 2018, 8:39 PM (IST): Fog disrupts air, rail traffic; air quality 'severe' in Delhi. December 26, 2018: In a year when markets have sunk across the world, Modi’s India shines, tops China in corporate deals. The numbers in the Wall Street Journal also tell a story that is quite opposite to the narrative that some people with an agenda have been feeding the public for a while now. The Wall Street Journal has found that India, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with $92 billion in corporate deals has moved ahead of China as a favored target.
December 26, 2018: A milk co-operative society secretary was robbed of Rs 14.80 lakh by two unidentified robbers near Tarnetar village of Than taluka in Surendranagar district in Gujarat. Police said the robbers had been following Khima Rabari (55) ever since he withdrew a large amount of cash from the Thangadh branch of the State Bank of India (SBI) meant to be paid to the milk traders associated with the co-operative society. Robbers threw chili powder in his eyes and robbed him of his bag containing the cash.
Dec 26, 2018: 10:46AM: Slight tremors felt in Jammu and Kashmir. The quake with its epicenter in the Jammu and Kashmir region was felt at 9.52 a.m. and it originated at a depth of 15 km inside the earth.
Dec 27, 2018:
December 29, 2018, 09:38 IST:
December 29, 2018: 20:50 IST:42-Carat Diamond Found In Madhya Pradesh's Panna Sold For Rs. 2.55 Crore. Motilal Prajapati, along with four others, had taken mine on lease in Krishna Kalyanpur area in Panna and had unearthed the diamond, the biggest found in these parts.
Fig.8 The vast expanse of the beach
in Visakhapatnam on 27 Dec. 2018 at 17:50PM
28.12.18, 3:34 AM: Navodaya schools allowed to hire Sanskrit teachers on demand. NVS, which runs residential schools in rural areas, allowed to hire Sanskrit teachers if more than 15 students opt for it. This month the NVS issued a letter to its 600-odd schools clarifying that if 15 students in a school opt to learn Sanskrit, the principal can hire a teacher on contract. December 29, 2018, 09:38 IST:
Fig.8a Lava-like eruption in Jalifa village.
Lava-Like Eruption From Electric Pole Leaves Tripura Villagers Scared. Agartala: A volcanic lava-like inflammable liquid has been reportedly coming out of the ground in Tripura's Jalifa village and has triggered panic among the local residents of the area. It has become a matter of concern for the Tripura state government, in North East India, which is highly vulnerable to earthquakes as it lies in seismic zone V. This is the third such incident reported this year in the state which is very close to Chittagong in Bangladesh. Earlier in mid-April, at two spots, namely Baishnavpur and Ghagrabasti of Sunroom, lava-like liquid erupted along with fire and gas. Lava-like eruption creates panic in Tripura village; third such incident this year. Earlier in mid-April, at two spots, namely Baishnavpur and Ghagrabasti of Sunroom, lava-like liquid erupted along with fire and gas.
29 December 2018: Delhi shivers at 2.6 °C, season's lowest. The national capital woke up to a cold morning on Saturday as the mercury dipped to 2.6 degrees Celsius, four notches below the season's average, the season's lowest temperature so far.
29 December 2018: 08:32 AM: Odisha seeks Rs 1,534 crore Central aid for drought-hit farmers. Odisha has sought Central assistance of Rs 1,534.82 crore to undertake relief measures for drought-hit farmers in nine districts of the State.
29 Dec. 2018: New York City sky turns neon blue after an explosion at a power plant in Queens. An explosion at a New York City power plant turned the night sky an eerie bright blue for several minutes – temporarily shutting down nearby LaGuardia Airport and sending social media into a frenzy. At least two transformers blew up at about 9.20pm, causing the sky over the Con Edison plant in Astoria, Queens to light up with a neon blue hue. No-one was hurt, and the fire was quickly brought under control.
29 December 2018: 04:02:35 PM: 6.9 magnitude earthquake strikes off the Philippines, tsunami warning issued. The massive earthquake struck southeast of Davao City at a depth of 59km (35 miles). Philippine monitors warned that "minor sea level disturbances" were to be expected. "People are advised to stay away from the beach and not to go to the coast fronting the Philippine Sea," for about two hours, the Philippines' government seismology office said in its tsunami warning.29 December 2018: Delhi shivers at 2.6 °C, season's lowest. The national capital woke up to a cold morning on Saturday as the mercury dipped to 2.6 degrees Celsius, four notches below the season's average, the season's lowest temperature so far.
29 December 2018: 08:32 AM: Odisha seeks Rs 1,534 crore Central aid for drought-hit farmers. Odisha has sought Central assistance of Rs 1,534.82 crore to undertake relief measures for drought-hit farmers in nine districts of the State.
29 Dec. 2018: New York City sky turns neon blue after an explosion at a power plant in Queens. An explosion at a New York City power plant turned the night sky an eerie bright blue for several minutes – temporarily shutting down nearby LaGuardia Airport and sending social media into a frenzy. At least two transformers blew up at about 9.20pm, causing the sky over the Con Edison plant in Astoria, Queens to light up with a neon blue hue. No-one was hurt, and the fire was quickly brought under control.
December 29, 2018: 20:50 IST:42-Carat Diamond Found In Madhya Pradesh's Panna Sold For Rs. 2.55 Crore. Motilal Prajapati, along with four others, had taken mine on lease in Krishna Kalyanpur area in Panna and had unearthed the diamond, the biggest found in these parts.
Fig.9 Water drought in India.
30 Dec. 2018: Helium found in volcanic lava plumes as seen in Iceland and Hawaii, originating from Earth's mantle. Helium exists possibly as a compound FeO2He which is stable and solid under pressures between 135 and 300GPs and temperature conditions 3000K and 5000K inside Earth.
30 December 2018: Torrential rain, delays blight Congo's presidential vote.
30 December 2018 05:15:19 PM: LPU to host world's largest science meet. Jalandhar (Punjab): Touted as the world's largest science meet, massive preparations are being made by the Lovely Professional University (LPU) near here for the Indian Science Congress beginning on its campus on January 3. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the ISC-2019 by addressing nearly 30,000 delegates at the inaugural ceremony at the LPU campus. The delegates will include Nobel Laureates, union ministers, eminent scientists, science policymakers, administrators, young researchers and school children from across India and other countries. Over 100 conferences and events of scientific and technology-linked themes will be held during the five-day (January 3-7) Congress. This is the 106th edition of the ISC.
30/12/2018: Novel powder to help cut CO2 emissions. TORONTO: Scientists have created a novel powder that can capture carbon dioxide emissions from factories and power plants. The powder, created by researchers at the University of Waterloo in Canada, can filter and remove CO2 at facilities powered by fossil fuels before it is released into the atmosphere and is twice as efficient as conventional methods.
30 December 2018: Torrential rain, delays blight Congo's presidential vote.
30 December 2018 05:15:19 PM: LPU to host world's largest science meet. Jalandhar (Punjab): Touted as the world's largest science meet, massive preparations are being made by the Lovely Professional University (LPU) near here for the Indian Science Congress beginning on its campus on January 3. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the ISC-2019 by addressing nearly 30,000 delegates at the inaugural ceremony at the LPU campus. The delegates will include Nobel Laureates, union ministers, eminent scientists, science policymakers, administrators, young researchers and school children from across India and other countries. Over 100 conferences and events of scientific and technology-linked themes will be held during the five-day (January 3-7) Congress. This is the 106th edition of the ISC.
30/12/2018: Novel powder to help cut CO2 emissions. TORONTO: Scientists have created a novel powder that can capture carbon dioxide emissions from factories and power plants. The powder, created by researchers at the University of Waterloo in Canada, can filter and remove CO2 at facilities powered by fossil fuels before it is released into the atmosphere and is twice as efficient as conventional methods.
31 Dec, 2018: This resource rich Central Asian country wants Indian mangoes.
Acknowledgment:
The author Professor Dr. K. Lakshmi Narayana is indebted to Late Prof. K. R. Rao D.Sc.(Madras) D.Sc.(London) for his guidance and inspiration to present these articles on my website. He is grateful to his mother Late Mrs. Peramma Rangadhama Rao for her sustained interest in my ventures.
