Madhya Pradesh has opted for the technologically most sophisticated—and costliest—method for revamping its public distribution system (PDS). It is one of a handful of states that is trying to ensure that subsidised food reaches the segment it is meant for, the poorest of the population or those below the poverty …
On solid-oxide fuel cell Solid-oxide fuel cell (SOFC) is a device in which hydrocarbons, like methane and diesel, electrochemically combine with air to produce electricity. Though it is an efficient power generator, it emits considerable amount of heat, which can be used further. Moreover, since a single cell produces just …
FIVE people working in a scrap metal shop in Delhi were hospitalised on April 7 following exposure to radioactive radiation. Nuclear experts rushed to the shop in Mayapuri junk market and found a radioactive material, cobalt-60, of the size of a pen cap. Nearby shops also indicated high radiation. It …
OVER 2.5 crore job card holders registered under Mahatama Gandhi National Rural Employment Act (MGNREGA) could be affected by the rural development ministry’s decision to introduce biometrics to the scheme. The job cards of beneficiaries in 200 districts across India are set to expire in 2011. The process of job …
How many of the Einsteins who exist now will be allowed to learn physics? That is the question Eben Moglen, professor of law and legal history at Columbia University, threw at a selected audience in Delhi last month. And the answer he provided—none, perhaps—did not occasion much surprise. Those attending …
What inspired you to monitor air pollution through a cellphone? In Los Angeles, we always worry about air quality. In the past few years, there has been a revolution in the cellphone technology. They are equipped with programmable sensors like cameras, GPS systems and compasses. If each phone can act …
Arecent UN report indicates an immense global disparity in access to broadband infrastructure. Broadband access is the cheapest in Macau in China, where it costs 0.3 per cent of the average monthly income. On the other end of the spectrum is Central African Republic, where it costs almost 40 times …
It was a cold morning in Colorado Springs in the US. Robert Angierre, a magician, walked towards the workshop of a scientist regarded as a disgrace to the scientists’ community. Entering an area cordoned off by an electric fence, he noticed bulbs lit all around in the snow. The bulbs …
AGRICULTURE minister Sharad Pawar has launched smart cards in Haryana and Chandigarh as a pilot project aimed at streamlining the public distribution system (PDS). Smart cards will replace paper cards and the subsidised ration bought at fair price shops (FPS) will be recorded online. The smart card will have biometric …
A DEVICE based on a technology used in superfast trains can now be used to test the fat content of milk and cheese. The device that uses magnetic levitation can also be used to test adulteration of vegetable oil. The density of a substance provides the key information about its …
IN 1930, when Karl Landsteiner was awarded the Nobel Prize for discovering blood groups, little did he know that a century later the task requiring elaborate lab apparatus could be performed on a stamp-sized paper. Researchers at the Monash University in Australia have developed a dipstick-test for instantly determining a …
Lead from paints, plumbing materials,waste crankcase oil, batteries, etc. pollute the environment and become available to animals as contaminated forage and water.Effective pollution mitigation requires an understanding of the sources and quantities of heavy-metal inputs.In the present study, a lead-responsive biosensor has been made by placing the green fluorescent protein …
