Advancements in Face Transplant

In January of this year, French surgeons performed the world’s first double face transplant, after a patient’s body rejected his initial graft from ten years prior. Surgeries of this kind are incredibly difficult, and the risk of rejection with face transplants is high.

It took five years and hundreds of medical, technical and support staff, including a year spent seeing a psychiatrist that Borsuk mandated for his patient before the complicated surgery; but in May, Desjardins was given a face transplant, in what was Canada’s first. At 65, he is also said to be the world’s oldest recipient of a face transplant. The transplant was made possible with an organ donation coordinated by Transplant Québec, with the permission of the donor’s family.

The world’s first face transplant was performed in France in 2005. The recipient, Isabelle Diniore died last year at the age of 49, 11 years after the surgery. It was reported that 21-year-old Katie Stubblefield became the youngest ever recipient of a face transplant after surviving a suicide attempt at the age of 18.

‘IU1010’-A Huge leap for India: Mars Mission

Mars Orbiter Mission is India’s first interplanetary mission to planet Mars with an orbiter craft designed to orbit Mars in an elliptical orbit.

Mission Objectives

One of the main objectives of the first Indian mission to Mars is to develop the technologies required for design, planning, management and operations of an interplanetary mission.

Mission Plan

The mission consists of following three phases:

1. Geo Centric Phase
The spacecraft is injected into an Elliptic Parking Orbit by the launcher.

2. Helio Centric Phase
The spacecraft leaves Earth in a direction tangential to Earth’s orbit and encounters Mars tangentially to its orbit. The flight path is roughly one half of an ellipse around sun.

3. Martian Phase
The spacecraft arrives at the Mars Sphere of Influence (around 573473 km from the surface of Mars) in a hyperbolic trajectory.

ISRO plans to launch the Mars Orbiter Mission during the November 2013 window utilizing minimum energy transfer opportunity.

Payloads

Mars Orbiter Mission carries five scientific payloads to observe Martian surface, atmosphere and exosphere extending up to 80,000 km for a detailed understanding of the evolution of that planet.Payloads consist of a camera, two spectrometers, a radiometer and a photometer. Together, they have a weight of about 15 kg.

Payload	Primary Objective	Weight (Kg)
Mars Colour Camera (MCC)	Optical imaging	1.27
Thermal Infrared Imaging Spectrometer(TIS)	Map surface composition and mineralogy	3.2
Methane Sensor for Mars (MSM)	Detection of Methane presence	2.94
Mars Enospheric Neutral Composition Analyser (MENCA)	Study of the neutral composition of Martian upper atmosphere	3.56
Lyman Alpha Photometer (LAP)	Study of Escape processes of Martian upper atmosphere through Deuterium/Hydrogen	1.97

‘IU1010’-MARATHONS : where every runner is a winner

RUN FOR A CAUSE

Running marathons empowers the power to realize one’s dreams and gives awareness of one’s abilities. Unlike other competitive sports, it gives you a personal experience. You  become a Winner just participating and crossing the finish line.

10 years and running for The Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon has turned into a movement. It is the country’s largest charity raising platform. The event has raised Rs 89.6 Crores for over 400 NGOs with the support of over 300 companies, thousands of fundraisers and lakhs of donors.

The Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon 2013 has broken all previous records and set a new benchmark as a ‘giving’ platform. An amount of Rs. 18.61 crores has been collectively raised by 215 NGOs.

FUND RAISING THROUGH THE EVENT

At the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon 2014, you can choose the NGO/cause you wish to support. NGOs, representing various causes/issues, register themselves with the Event’s official Charity Partner, United Way of Mumbai. Some NGOs use this event as a platform to raise awareness for the work they undertake, and some to raise amounts for their charitable activities

CORPORATE CHALLENGE

Corporate Challenge is an ideal opportunity for companies to blend their CSR and HR objectives in a perfect harmony. Corporate Challenge is a group of select companies that contribute a minimum of Rs. 2.75 lakhs to a listed NGO of their choice and send a group of 15 employees to participate in the event or a minimum of Rs. 4 lakhs to a listed NGO of their choice and send a group of 25 employees to participate in the event.

CHARITY AWARDS

The benevolent and selfless efforts of individuals, companies and NGOs during the 2014 edition of the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon will be recognized and awarded at the special awards press conference.

‘IU1010’-Engine of Earth: Antarctica

Antarctica is the highest continent because of the thickness of the ice sheet. The average elevation is 2,300 meters. The entire Antarctic ice sheet holds about 68% of the worlds freshwater. The coldest temperature ever recorded on Earth was in Antarctica at Russia’s Vostok Station that was 129.3˚F/89.6˚C. 

Life in Antarctica  

Antarctica has relatively few species of plants and animals, which is probably due to the fact that only 2% of the continent is free of ice. There are only two types of flowering plants. Most of the plant life in Antarctica is in the form of mosses and lichens. The penguins, seals, and other seabirds that might come to the continent and nearby islands are not native to the continent. Only two species of penguins, the Emperors and Adelies, are considered fully “Antarctic” because they spend significant time on the Antarctic continent.

Projects  

1)ASOC’s mission is to protect and preserve this unique place, which is the heritage of all humankind.

2)Antarctica’s Gamburtsev Province Project (AGAP)

focuses on an invisible world in one of the most remote areas on Earth, just west of the Pole of Inaccessibility, in East Antarctica. the project will peel back the roughly 4 km-deep layer of 1.2 million-year-old glacial ice, to expose the mountains and lakes hidden below.

 

The science mission addresses four fundamental questions:

• How were the enigmatic Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains formed?
• What role does topography play in the birth of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet?
• Where is the oldest climate record more likely to be found?
• What are the tectonic controls on subglacial lakes?

 

3)The Antarctic Meteorological Research Center (AMRC) and Automatic Weather Station (AWS) program are United States Antarctic Program (USAP) sister projects focusing on observational Antarctic meteorological research, providing real-time and archived meteorological data and observations, and supporting a network of automatic weather stations in Antarctica.

‘IU1010’-HOT HOTTER HOTTEST: EARTH IS RUNNING OUT OF TIME

The industrial revolution which started in 1875 changed weather conditions. The industrialization and the increasing population density are forcing governments to consume more fossil fuels which is affecting the earth’s temperature.  Its effects are gradually increasing every year.

Causes of Global Warming

The main cause of global warming is the sun and Carbon pollution. Planet is getting hotter, increasing the chances of weather disasters, drought and flood and hurting our health.

EFFECTS

The intersection of the climate zone will destroy both the plantation and the animal life. Global warming also changes economical impacts. As natural disasters and contagious diseases will increase. Ice is melting and raise in sea level is also caused due to global warming.

 

 

It’s time to listen – and take action. There’s plenty we can do.

There are solutions. For starters, we can cut carbon pollution by reducing our dependence on fossil fuels and increasing our use of clean, renewable energy. And we can implement policies that help us prepare for flooding, drought, storms and other consequences of climate change.

20% of the energy consumed in the households are for heating the water. Using the solar energy will save from electric energy. If every family saves up 3 C for 24 hrs, it means saving up 11.100 gallons of petroleum.

Personal Responsibilities

 Reserve renewable energy sources.
·Prefer public transportation.
·Use unleaded petroleum to decrease the air pollution.
·Choose ozone friendly deodorants to avoid the increase of greenhouse gases.
·Be conscious about the damages of using PVC material.
·Plant more trees to reduce the effects of erosion.
·Assist other people for a conscious society.

·Economise the consumption of electricity and water.

We must act now to spur the adoption of cleaner energy sources at home and abroad.

‘IU1010’-A TASTE OF HEAVEN: White Revolution

Operation Flood has created a national milk grid linking milk producers throughout India with consumers in over 700 towns and cities. white revolution was started by  Dr. Verghese Kurien, also called the father of White Revolution. Program started by National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) in 1970. It made India the largest producer of the milk in the world.

Objectives included:

• Increase milk production (“a flood of milk”)
• Augment rural incomes
• Fair prices for consumers

There were some distinctive features behind the success of ‘Operation Flood’. They were:

• Adopting new methods in the case of cattle in animal husbandry
• Changes in the composition of ingredients in different proportions
• Fixing of different costs according to standard of the wealth.

Amul formed in 1946, is a dairy cooperative in India. The White Revolution’s model dairy board was that of Amul.

Five cows cannot not send a family’s children to high school, but it could support their basic education and provide a supplemental income that changed their standards of living and circulated more money through the village.

‘IU1010’-BRINGING SMILES : MID DAY MEAL

The Mid Day Meal is the world’s largest Indian school hunger feeding program started in 1925. Reaching out to 12 crore children in over 12.65 lakh schools across the country. Mid Day Meal with enhanced calorific energy content and increased quantity of proteins in food, is  expected to improve the nutritional status of children.

Objective

The main objective of MDM Program in India is to boost the enrollment of children to schools and stop their hunger. Mid Day Meal Program will surely encourage poor children belonging to disadvantaged sections of the society to attend school more regularly.

Impact

• 11 crore children benefit from hot cooked nutritious food in 12 lakh schools.
• 5.77 lakh kitchen-cum-store have been constructed to ensure safety of foodgrains and ensure hygienic meals to the children.
• 24 lakh cook cum helpers mainly from sc/st & obc communities have been engaged to provide mid day meal to the school children.

The concept of mid-day meal scheme is not new in India as its roots can be traced back to pre-independence era when British administration initiated a Mid Day Meal Programme for disadvantage children in Madras Municipal Corporation in 1925.

Drawbacks

The concept and the purpose of initiating anything is always good but when it comes to the management then we are miserable.

Recently 79 students of a government school in Bhilwara district of Rajasthan were admitted to hospital as they fell ill after consuming mid-day meal. This happened because of the food poisoning caused by a dead lizard found in the food.

Such stories has put a question mark on the management system.

To keep a check, a mid-day meal monitoring committee has been set up. Government is now focusing to strengthen the committee further so that such incidences can be avoided. The committee will monitor the qualitative parameters such as hygiene. After all, the success of mid-day meal scheme depends upon the quality and how effectively the entire chain is managed.

‘IU1010’-Take a Dive into the blue

Oceans cover about 70% of the Earth’s surface. The oceans contain roughly 97% of the Earth’s water supply.. From the freezing Polar Regions to the warm waters of the tropics and deep sea hydrothermal vents to shallow seagrass beds, marine organisms abound. The oceans of Earth serve many functions, especially affecting the weather and temperature. Fishing is the principal livelihood for over 200 million people and provides the main source of protein for more than a billion.

The ocean is our planet’s life support system—and it’s in danger.

It’s not too late to get our fishing practices back on track. Using smart laws, policies, incentives, and market demand, we can help sustain fish populations at healthy levels for years to come.

Organizations protecting the oceans

NRDC- National Resource Defense Council

NRDC fights for sustainable fishing by crafting common sense fishing policies, promoting conservation-minded approaches to how fisheries are managed, and enforcing and defending laws to stop destructive fishing practices.

WWF-  World Wildlife Fund

WWF works around the world to protect oceans and the variety of species and communities that depend on them By establishing marine protected areas, responsibly farmed seafood, helping communities adapt to climate change, promoting ecotourism and sustainable development. WWF works to end overfishing, addressing it at both a local and commercial level.

Critical Ocean Issues

Over-fishing: Plenty of Fish in the Sea? Not Always

Sea Temperature Rise: Warmer Oceans Have Far-Reaching Effects

Marine Pollution: Centuries of Abuse Have Taken a Heavy Toll

Ocean Acidification: Carbon Dioxide Is Putting Shelled Animals at Risk

Did You Know?

Pteropods, tiny sea snails whose existence is threatened by ocean acidification, are an important food source for some whales.

What You Can Do

We can all support sustainable fishing by wisely choosing which fish to eat, spreading the word to friends and family, and contacting our lawmakers to make sure they support responsible policies.

Eat sustainable caught seafood.

Support Organizations Working to Protect the Ocean

Use Fewer Plastic Products

Be an Ocean-Friendly Pet Owner

Influence Change in Your Community

Educate Yourself About Oceans and Marine Life

Help Take Care of the Beach

 Engage, Conserve, Restore

Related articles

• Ocean Acidification: The Other CO2 Problem (alexsandra85blog.wordpress.com)
• Save the oceans from warming (news-oceanacidification-icc.org)
• Nearly a billion ocean-dependent people at risk because of global warming (rinf.com)

‘IU1010’-Endangered predator: SAVE TIGERS NOW

A FEW AS 1411 TIGERS LEFT .. 

A hundred years ago there were 100,000 tigers in the wild. Today there are as few as 1,411. The tigers once roamed the earth freely throughout Asia in the 1900s. TODAY, there are as few as 1,411 left in the wild. Only 7% of historic tiger habitat still contains tigers. The Tigers in the wild signifies, healthy livelihood, protects the genetic diversity. Nature balances with the right proportion of predators for prey. Therefore, the healthy presence of tiger population indicates healthy forests. 

THE PROBLEM

Illegal trade 

The illegal poaching of tigers for their parts poses the largest threat to tiger survival. Tigers are being hunted to extinction by poachers for their skins, bones, teeth and claws .

Tiger Farms

Despite the fact that all international commercial trade of tigers has been banned since 1987, some countries allow the breeding of captive tigers on a commercial scale. In many cases, products from these tigers are winding up on the black market.

Tigers in Captivity in the US

The United States has one of the largest populations of captive tigers in the world − estimated at perhaps 5,000 tigers. Its is easier to buy a tiger than to adopt a dog from a local animal shelter.

Human-Tiger Conflict

As the human population grows, we are encroaching further into tiger habitat, causing increased competition between tigers and people over living space and food .

 

THERE IS HOPE…

Tigers can breed quickly and successfully if we provide them with protected habitat and ample prey.

ONGOING PROJECTS –

• GTF – Portfolio of Services for TRCs : GTF offers a number of services to the TRCs for Tiger conservation
• Tiger Watch : Annually co-organize a “Tiger Watch” program in India, under which Field Officers from Russia visit tiger reserves in India.
• Monitoring of the Global Tiger Recovery Program : an objective of the projects is to establish a technical and institutional foundation for an effective collaboration among the Tiger Range Countries

Why Should You Care About Tigers?

HEALTHY TIGER POPULATIONS = HEALTHY ECOSYSTEMS

A HOME FOR TIGERS = A HOME FOR OTHERS

Large predators like tigers are an “umbrella species” and protecting them benefits hundreds of other species, including other endangered creatures that share tiger habitat and form biodiversity, a keystone to keeping our planet healthy.

Projects like WWF and GOBAL TIGER FOR  FORUM  are working toward s the survival of these tigers.  They need the support of people to save these majestic species.

WWF’s goal is to double the number of tigers by 2022.

TAKE ACTION

Every little bit helps. You can speak up about the cause. You can write or blog about our tigers. Even staying up-to-date with tiger facts like knowledge of tiger sanctuaries, their population, news updates, etc. helps. You can also donate money to NGOs working for the cause, like WWF-India.

Say NO to Tiger Products

Travel to Tiger Country: Income from tourism at tiger reserves can be critical to building support among local communities for tiger protection.

Spread Awareness!!!

Now just 1411 left…..

Related articles

• “Tigers Forever” (bhaskars560.wordpress.com)
• Leonardo DiCaprio Donates $3 Million to Double Nepal’s Tiger Population by 2022 (inhabitat.com)
• Tiger census gets under way in Karnataka (thehindu.com)
• ExtROARdinary Tigers (preethiprakash.wordpress.com)

‘IU1010’-Popularity Contest: Cricket vs. Football

As we all know cricket is the mainstream sport in India. European football has much more popularity and fan base than one can expect. FIFA has been lending a hand in improving football in India.

Visits of Bayern Munchen, Argentina and Venezuela are the example. FC Barcelona’s India camp in this summer may also open some footballing avenues in India.

.

There might be many football fans in India but “many” as such does not imply any significance in the Indian context given the population (even if there are a million die-hard fans, its less than 0.1% of the population).
Indian football as such is not as popular as Badminton, Tennis or Hockey and not even close to Cricket except in some parts like Kerala, Kolkata or Pune.

Indian football comprises fans of football clubs in West Bengal, and maybe Kerala and Goa, and do not have more than a local following. The national team is pretty much unknown to those outside the team and its administration.

The larger chunk of football fans is those who follow European club football. They are mainly school and college students from metropolitan cities who are too hipster to follow the mainstream sport which is cricket. These fans usually tend to overstate the popularity of football in India.

Cricket is pretty much the only sport which can be called popular in India.

Few reasons are:

    1)     India does well in cricket: The fact that India has produced some internationally-acclaimed achievers in the sport adds to the         appeal, allowing for more aspirations leading to more popularity.

     2)     There are arguments that cricket is easier to watch or follow than other more “fluid” sports like football. In the early days                       before television, one had to rely on the radio for sports updates, and a discrete game like cricket is much more compatible with radio commentary.

      3)    Cricket has a certain sophisticated appeal to most Indians. It is a non-aggressive game with intricate rules, allowing for more                 real-time strategy and value of experience than just youthful athleticism.

 Other sports which have some resemblance of popularity in India are tennis and chess.