Young biologist from Andhra Pradesh recreates a blue whale from bones

Complete skeleton formed in Andhra Pradesh using remains of several of the giants washed ashore

It was like a jigsaw puzzle for the young wildlife biologist looking at the skeletal remains of dead blue whales washed ashore on the Andhra Pradesh coast. But he found a way to put them all together. All in just two months. Where the parts were missing, he used plaster of Paris and put in stainless steel and screws to configure a life-size skeleton of the endangered species.

In 2017, Kumpatla Balaji, an Andhra University alumnus, launched a project to use the skeletal remains to form the blue whale, replicating its natural anatomy structure. He was spurred to do so, after experts were unable to fit the bones collected from the Machilipatnam coast.

Mr. Balaji is a research scientist at the Coringa Marine Museum in Rajamahendravaram city, where the 32-ft-long life-size blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) skeleton he engineered is being preserved and on public display since early 2018.

“Dozens of skeletal remains of blue whales were lying with our museum, begging to be assembled,” said Mr. Balaji.

“Many bones and the head part of the blue whale were brought to our museum by the Forest Department from Machilipatnam coast in 2017, helping me form the complete skeleton within two months,” the research scientist said.

The skeletal parts were chemically treated before being rigged together with stainless steel. “At least two bones were made of plaster of Paris as they were missing.”

The blue whale falls in Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Dozens of dead blue and sperm whales have washed ashore on the Nagayalanka, Machilipatnam, Kakinada, and Srikakulam coast in Andhra Pradesh since 2015. What caused their death is the subject of study.

Source: https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/young-biologist-from-andhra-pradesh-recreates-a-blue-whale-from-bones/article29254745.ece (Accessed on August 29, 2019)

Did you know life insurance rules have changed?

On new ULIPs, the minimum sum assured will be less than 10 times the premium

IRDAI (Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India) issued a notification on new regulations in ULIPs (unit linked insurance plans) and traditional insurance policies, a few weeks back. Of the several changes, the move to reduce the minimum sum assured (SA) in ULIPs and a guaranteed surrender value for traditional policies from the second year, were prominent.

Source: https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/portfolio/personal-finance/did-you-know-life-insurance-rules-have-changed/article29252624.ece (Accessed on August 29, 2019)

IT industry on hiring spree, adds record number of employees in Q1

Around 85,000 employees added on net basis, highest in six years

The Indian information technology (IT) industry added a record number of employees in the April-June quarter (first quarter, or Q1) of the ongoing financial year, with around 85,000 new hires. This is the highest-ever net employee addition by the industry in a single quarter in six years, according to a recent report by equity research firm CLSA.

Industry experts are of the opinion that the spurt in recruitment happened as IT services firms went aggressive on hiring in anticipation of a strong demand environment. This was supplemented by healthy hiring in onsite locations, triggered by ...

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https://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/it-industry-on-hiring-spree-adds-record-number-of-employees-in-q1-119082500648_1.html (Accessed on August 29, 2019)

IIT-Hyderabad develops waterproofing material using fly ash

Stearic acid-coated fly ash surface can be made to behave like rose petals or lotus leaves.

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Hyderabad have developed a cheap waterproofing material by coating fly ash, a waste by-product from coal-based thermal power plants, with stearic acid, which is a surfactant. While fly ash is extremely water-loving (hydrophilic), it turns into a highly water-repelling surface once coated with stearic acid.

The stearic acid has a hydrophilic part called the head and hydrophobic portion called the tail. While the head of stearic acid which is hydrophilic binds to fly ash particles, the water-repelling tail remains free. Numerous free hydrophobic tails of stearic acid makes the fly ash surface water repellent.

Fly ash varies in size from 100 nanometres to a few microns and can thus provide surfaces with different roughness based on the size of the particles chosen. The stearic acid-coated fly ash surface can be made to behave like one of the two naturally occurring water-repelling materials — rose petals or lotus leaves — by the varying the surface roughness.


In the case of a rose petal the surface repels the water but at the same time the structure of the petal ensures that the water droplets adhere to it. Thus, even when inverted, water droplets do not fall down. On the other hand, in the case of the lotus leaf, water droplet rolls off easily.

“When we used particles of more or less uniform size, the inter-particle space is more and water penetrates and sticks to the surface like in the case of a rose petal and remains adhered to the surface even when we tilted it to 90 and 180 degrees,” says Dr. Atul Suresh Deshpande from the institute’s Department of Material Science and Metallurgical Engineering and corresponding author of a paper published inChemistry Select.

The topography changes completely when fly ash particles of different sizes are used. The smaller particles tend to fill the gap between the larges ones thus resulting in a tighter packing with very little gap between particles. “Air pockets tend to form when the gap between particles reduces making it difficult for water to get into the gaps. Water droplets are suspended on top of the air pockets and so has less adhesion to the surface. So when the surface is tilted slightly (5 degree) the droplets tend to roll off easily,” says Dr. Mudrika Khandelwal from IIT Hyderabad and a co-author of the paper.

“By using a combination of stearic acid and surface roughness we were able to achieve superhydrophobicity (where the water contact angle is more than 150 degree),” says Urbashi Mahanta, a PhD student from IIT Hyderabad and first author of the paper. “We used a simple process of particle distribution to achieve the two types of hydrophobicity.”

The extent of hydrophobicity increased in both surfaces when the drying temperature was increased from 60 degree C to 80 degree C. The melting point of stearic acid is over 69 degree so when heated to 80 degree C the surfactant melts leading to better coverage and therefore smoother surface compared with samples treated to 60 degree C. Samples with tight and loose packing when treated to 80 degree C showed more hydrophobicity. The stearic acid-coated fly ash can be used as a waterproofing material. Owing to its hydrophobic nature, the surface can be easily cleaned. One can use an adhesive to apply the stearic acid coated fly ash on a surface,” says Dr. Deshpande.

More work is needed to test the mechanical and chemical durability of the fly ash waterproofing material.

Source: https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/iit-hyderabad-develops-waterproofing-material-using-fly-ash/article29245730.ece (Accessed on August 29, 2019)

Mann Ki Baat: PM calls for mass movement against single-use plastic from Oct 2

In his monthly radio address ‘Mann ki Baat’, the prime minister said when the country observes the 150 birth anniversary of the Father of the Nation, “we will launch a new mass movement against use of plastic”.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday urged people to observe the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi this year as a day to make India plastic-free and exhorted municipalities, NGOs and the corporate sector to come up with ways for safe disposal of accumulated plastic waste before Diwali.

The call for a mass movement came days after Mr. Modi’s Independence Day’s address in which he had urged people to shun ‘single-use’ plastic to protect the environment.

In his monthly radio address ‘Mann ki Baat’, the Prime Minister also urged people to participate in the annual ‘Swachhta Hi Seva’ or ‘the quest for cleanliness is service’ campaign, which will begin on September 11 this year.

“This year, on October 2, when we celebrate Bapu’s 150th birth anniversary, we shall not only dedicate to him an India that is open defecation-free but also shall lay the foundation of a new revolution against plastic, by people themselves, throughout the country,” he said.

He said people from all strata of the society should celebrate Gandhi Jayanti this year as a day to make “Mother India plastic-free“.

The Prime Minister urged all municipalities, municipal corporations, district administrations, gram panchayats, government and non-governmental bodies to work towards ensuring adequate arrangement for collection and storage of plastic waste.

“I also appeal to the corporate sector to come out with ways and means for appropriate disposal of all accumulated plastic. It can be recycled; it can be transformed into fuel. This way we can accomplish our task of ensuring safe disposal of plastic waste before this Diwali,” he said.

Diwali festival this year falls on October 27.

He said all that is required to take up the challenge is resolve and “what can be a greater inspiration than Gandhi?”.

In his Independence Day’s address, Mr. Modi had urged citizens to eliminate ‘single-use’ plastic and suggested that shopkeepers provide eco-friendly bags to customers.

“This campaign has enthused people ... Many of my merchant brothers and sisters have put up a placard at their establishments, boldly mentioning that customers ought to carry shopping bags with them. This will result in monetary savings as well as one would be able to contribute towards protection of the environment,” he said.

Source: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/mann-ki-baat-pm-calls-for-mass-movement-against-single-use-plastic-from-oct-2/article29252132.ece (Accessed on August 29, 2019)

MSU accepts UGC changes for PhD

MSU accepts UGC changes for PhD


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UGC plans panel to shape anti-bullying policy in schools and colleges

A government official said on condition of anonymity that the panel will prepare draft amendments to existing anti-ragging regulations to add ways to curb bullying and also prepare an action plan to implement them.
The University Grants Commission (UGC) plans to form a high-powered panel to suggest norms to curb bullying in colleges and universities and to come up with an implementation plan. (HT FILE)


India may soon have an anti-bullying policy in schools and colleges to combat a menace that is increasingly rearing its head in schools and colleges across India, especially with students from diverse social and economic backgrounds increasingly studying together.

The policy will be framed for colleges first. The University Grants Commission (UGC) plans to form a high-powered panel to suggest norms to curb bullying in colleges and universities and to come up with an implementation plan to put them into practice, according to an order the higher education sector regulator issued recently in this regard.

A government official said on condition of anonymity that the panel will prepare draft amendments to existing anti-ragging regulations to add ways to curb bullying and also prepare an action plan to implement them.

A second official who asked not to be named said the recommendations will also be passed onto the HRD ministry’s school education department for the implementation of the norms in schools.

“The UGC has come up with elaborate regulations as far as ragging is concerned. However, bullying is another problem that silently makes the education experience a nightmarish experience for many,’’ a third ministry official said on condition of anonymity.

Globally 32% of all students aged 13-17 years had been bullied at school in the month preceding the publication of a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) report on bullying in February. According to UNESCO, bullying is the most common example of school violence and includes physical, psychological and sexual violence. It found frequently bullied students are nearly three times more likely to feel like outsiders, and are more than twice as likely to miss school.

The Teacher Foundation, a non-profit trust promoting the development of schools and educators in India, studied bullying between 2013 and 2017 across 15 Indian cities and found that 42% students in classes 4-8 and 36% in classes 9-12 reported it.


One of the officials cited above said the decision to form the panel was taken at an inter-council meeting of HRD ministry, UGC, Central Board of Secondary Education and National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) and other officials in May this year.

According to the order cited above, UGC chairman D P Singh has formed the panel under the leadership of Sushma Yadav, who is a UGC member and Sonepat’s BPS Mahila Vishwavidyalaya vice-chancellor.

HT has accessed a copy of the order, which said the panel would include representatives from NCERT, CBSE, HRD ministry and All India Council for Technical Education.

The third official cited above said ragging is an issue that emerges at the time of admissions in colleges, but bullying, while invisible sometimes, is as prevalent a problem, and probably not even time-specific.

“Moreover, apart from a senior student intimidating junior ones, there can be issues which are region-specific or are linked with social realities. The committee will examine the issue of bullying from all aspects,” the official said.

“Though at the Higher Education admission stage the UGC has very stringent anti Ragging Regulation the same is missing at the school level. It is a well known fact that some senior school students are great bullies. School students are in a very wide age spectrum. They enjoy sadistic pleasure in harassing their juniors which are far younger than them. Therefore this UGC initiative is very timely,” said eminent educationist Prof Inder Mohan Kapahy.

Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/ugc-plans-panel-to-shape-anti-bullying-policy-in-schools-and-colleges/story-GK7eSyB9rFvaqLTrmqA3OK.html (Accessed on August 29, 2019)