GENETIC VARIATIONS IN HUMANS MAPPED.

Scientists have developed a comprehensive map that can help point the genetic causes of differences between people, providing powerful clues for diagnosis, prognosis and intervention of different diseases. The study led by researchers from the University of Geneva (UNIGE's) Faculty of Medicine, offers the largest ever dataset linking human genomes to gene activity at the level of RNA. Understanding how each person's unique genome makes them more or less susceptible to disease is one of the biggest challenges in science today, researchers said. Geneticists study how different genetic profiles affect how certain genes are turned on or off in different people, which could be the cause of a number of genetic disorders.

The study conducted by over fifty scientists from nine European institutes,measured gene activity (gene expression) by sequencing RNA in human cells from 462 individuals. "The richness of genetic variation that affects the regulation of most of our genes surprised us", said study coordinator Tuuli Lappalainen. "It is important that we figure out the genetal laws of how the human genome works, rather than just delving into individual genes", said Lappalainen. The biological discovery was enabled by a staggering amount of RNA data from multiple human populations. Emmanouil Dermitzakis, who led the study, emphasised that the study has profound implications for genomic medicine. "Understanding the cellular effects of disease - predisposing variants helps us to understand causal mechanisms of disease", Dermitzakis said.

C.S. Chakravarthy

H. No. 12-13-302, St. No. 9,

Lane. No. 1, Flat. No. 203,

Satya Classic, Tarnaka,

Secunderabad- 500 017,

Telangana State.

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MUTATION BREEDING OF OIL SEEDS, PULSES AND CEREALS.

Do you know that when you eat a dosa or idli from anywhere in Maharashtra, there is 90 percent chance that the urad dal in them came from mutation breeding, a promising technology developed by the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Trombay. Since we import 40 percent oil seeds and 20 percent pulses, BARC focussed its attention primarily on these crops. Heritable mutations of genes occur spontaneously in all living beings; but their rates are extremely low - of the order of one in a million. Isolating living organisms with beneficial characteristics from nature and multiplying them by selective breeding is a very slow process. Scientists speed up the mutation rate a thousand fold by expsoing seeds or in some instances parts of the plant to ionising radiation. Breeders produce plants from these irradiated seeds. They combine plants with different desirable characteristics to develop high yielding, early maturing and disease resistant plants. 

Pigeon pea and mung bean suffer viral attacks; soya beans are hit by bacteria; drought and salinity affect pulses and oil seeds; some plants are sensitive to temperature. Pre-harvest sprouting and in situ germination are other worrying conditions. Scientists have overcome most of these adversities by genetic manipulation.

Improved quality: They can improve the quality and nutritional content of oil seeds and the bread making quality of wheat. Wheat plant can be made heat tolerant and resistant to stem rust. They have developed many varieties of rice. Some are early harvestable; others are salt tolerant; a few are disease resistant. Reduced height Basmati is another notable contribution. The development of better crop plants takes time. Scientists test the improved crops at least for three years in BARC fields before they are entered for evaluation trials conducted by the agricultural universities, etc. Promising new varieties are further evaluated in adaptive, district and mini-kit trials on the farmers' fields. BARC scientists set up linkages with farmers to produce quality breeder seeds and participate actively in Kisan Melas held in farmers' fields to popularise the technology. They developed 41 new varieties (Trombay varieties) by Radiation Induced Mutation and cross breeding. These have been released and officially notified by the Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India for commercial cultivation.

Farmers in virtually every state benefitted from the technology. It started in 1973 with Trombay Groundnut (TG-1) cultivated mainly in Gujarat and Maharashtra. Maturing in about 130-135 days, with large seeds, the crop gave a modest increase in yield of 15-20 percent. Besides high yield, early maturity and early water use efficiency, some of the Trombay Groundnut varieties have fresh seed dormancy of 20-30 days thus preventing in-situ germination, a nightmare for farmers due to end of season rains when the crop is ready for harvest. 

Scientists from the University of Agricultural Science and BARC produced a large seed variety of groundnut. Hundreds of farmers are producing even up to seven tonnes/ha of some varieties of groundnuts in some states. A drought tolerant early maturing variety and an early maturing large seed variety of groundnuts are being cultivated in large desert areas in Rajasthan. 

Export worthy: BARC has also developed early maturing confectionary grade, large seed groundnut seed varieties (100 seeds more than sixty grams) suitable for export. As early as 2002-2003, the breeder seed indent for Trombay Groundnut varieties by the Department of Agriculture & Cooperation, Ministry of Agriculture stood at 932 out of 3,137 quintal (29.7 percent) of national indent. In and address at the Indian Nuclear Society Technical Seminar, Dr. S.F. D'Souza, Associate Director listed the mutant varieties of crop plants developed at Trombay and lucidly described their socio-economic impact. The breeder seed indent for Trombay urad bean (black gram) then stood at 93.4 quintal out of 222.05 quintal (42.06 percent) of national indent. Farmers grew them on 5.10 lakh hectares out of 5.49 lakh hectares (about 93 percent) in Maharashtra. Maharashtra State Seed Corporation, Akola has distributed 21,000 metric tonnes of a certified variety of black gram seeds to the farmers. BARC developed many varieties of high yielding, disease resistant moong beans. One of them a disease resistant, early maturing (55-59 days) variety for summer season made available an additional area for moong bean cultivation under crop diversity programme. Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, N.G. Ranga Agricultural University and Indira Gandhi Krishividyalaya collaborated with BARC in some of the programmes. Currently farmers cultivate Trombay moong varieties over 3,00,000 hectares in India.

India leads: In developing and applying mutation breeding using ionising radiation. India has a leading role among all nations. Many varieties of mutant crops cultivated on tens of thousands of hectares enhance income in rural areas, contribute to environmentally sustainable food security and improve human nutrition in India.

C.S. Chakravarthy

H. No. 12-13-302, St. No. 9,

Lane. No. 1, Flat. No. 203,

Satya Classic Apartments,

Tarnaka, Secunderabad- 500 017,

Telangana State, India.

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Snapshots.

1. World's most vulnerable areas to climate change mapped.--Using data from the world's ecosystems and predictions of how climate change will impact them, scientists have produced a raodmap that identifies the most vulnerable and least vulnerable areas in the age of climate change.
2. For efficient irrigation, more control over plant growth.-- Soil moisture sensors used along with an automated irrigation system to irrigate when substrate volumetric water drops below a set threshold, allow for improved water conservation compared with traditional practices.
3. New light on birth of Earth's continents.--  An analysis shows that the nuclei of Earth's continents formed as a byproduct of mountain-building processes, by stacking up slabs of relatively cold oceanic crust, creating 'keels' in earth's mantle supporting the overlying crust.
4. Generating electricity from sewage using wired microbes.--  A new way to generate electricity from sewage uses naturally occurring 'wired microbes' as mini power plants, producing electricity as they digest plant and animal waste. A simple yet efficient design puts these special bacteria to work.
5. Space weather to blame for some satellite failures.-- Researchers are investigating whether solar falres, geomagnetic storms and other forms of electromagnetic radiation have affected geostationary satellites, which provide much of the world's communications.

C.S. Chakravarthy
H. No. 12-13-302, St. No. 9, 
Lane. No. 1, Flat. No. 203,
Satya Classic Apartments,
Tarnaka, Secunderabad- 500 017
Telangana State, India.
E-mail: chakkuresearchscholar13@gmail.com
Cell: 09985732397.
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Two Train Engines.

How do drivers of a train pulled by two engines control (the speed and braking) of the second engine when they are sitting in the first engine?

Two or more locomotives (engines) are used to haul a heavier train when power of a single locomotive is not adequate to pull the train either due to heavy loads, steeper gradients or higher speed required. Such operation is known as multiple unit or MU operation in short. Additional locomotives can be put either immediately behind the first loco or at the end of the train or sometimes even in the middle of the train. Such multiple set of locomotives are controlled by single set of crew (drivers) who are usually seated in the first locomotive for visibility or other reasons. Rest of the locomotives are controlled by a system known as locotrol (a mixed word for locomotive and control).

The locomotive in which the crew are seated is known as the master loco and the rest are slave locomotives. The master and the slave locomotives are electrically coupled through a set of cables and wireless signals (for such slave locomotives which are in the rear or in the middle of the train). The crew in the master loco sends electrical control signals to the slave locomotives through the cable or wirless system which actuates the electrical controls of all the slave locomotives together with the master locomotive. As far as braking is concerned, the system is much simpler. Brake operation in the modern trains is done by pressured air (at 5 kg per sq. cm.) which is fed to all the brake cylinders fixed under all wagons and the coaches (passenger vehicles) through a pressure pipe connected to the source of pressurised air in the locomotives. In the past, twin air pipes were used to increase the efficiency of brake application in longer trains. There are separate pipes for the locomotive brakes and the wagons/coaches. Application of brakes can be done from the leading locomotive or even the guard's van in the rear or from any of the slave locomotives. No electrical signals are needed for braking as the air flow in the pressure pipe is regulated by a mechanical handle.

C.S. Chakravarthy

H. No. 12-13-302, St. No. 9,

Lane. No. 1, Flat. No. 203,

Satya Classic Apartments,

Tarnaka, Secunderabad- 500 017
India.

E-mail: chakkuresearchscholar13@gmail.com

Cell: 09985732397.
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Thought and Characater.

The aphorism, "As a man thinketh in his heart so is he" not only embraces the whole of a man's being, but is so comprehensive as to reach out to every condition and circumstance of his life. A man is literally what he thinks, his character being the complete sum of all his thoughts. As the plant springs from the hidden seeds of thought, and could not have appeared without them. This applies equally to those acts called 'spontaneous' and 'unpremeditated' as to those which are deliberately executed.

Act is the blossom of thought, and joy and sufferings are its fruits; thus does a man garner in the sweet and bitter fruitage of his own husbandry.

Thought in the mind hath made us. What we are

By thought was wrought and built. If a man's mind

Hath evil thoughts, pain comes on him as comes

The wheel the Ox behind. If one endures

In purity of thought, joy follows him

As his own shadow -- sure.

Man is a growth by law, and not a creation by artifice, and cause and effect is as absolute and undeviating in the hidden realm of thought as in the world of visible and material things. A noble and Godlike character is not a thing of favour or chance, but is the natural result of continued effort in right thinking, the effect of long cherished association with Godlike thoughts. An ignoble and bestial character, by the same process, is the result of the continued harbouring of grovelling thoughts.

Man is made or unmade by himself, in the armoury of thought he forges the weapons by which he destroys himself; he also fashions the tools with which he builds for himself heavenly mansions of joy and strength and peace. By the right choice and true application of thought, man ascends to the Divine Perfection; by the abuse and wrong application of thought, he descends below the level of the beast. Between these two extremes are all the grades of character, and man is their maker and master. 

Of all the beautiful truths pertaining to the soul which have been restored and brought to light in this age, none is more gladdening or fruitful of divine promise and confidence than this -- that man is the master of thought, the moulder of character, and the maker and shaper of condition, environment and destiny.

As a being of Power, Intelligence, and Love, and the Lord of His own thoughts, man holds the key to every situation, and contains within himself that transforming and regenerative agency by which he may make himself what he wills.

Man is always the master, even in his weakest and most abandoned state; but in his weakness and degradation he is the foolish master who misgoverns his household. When he begins to reflect upon his condition, and to search diligently for the Law upon which his being is established, he then becomes the wise master, directing his energies with intelligence, and fashioning his thoughts to fruitful issues. Such is the conscious master, and man can only thus become by discovering within himself the laws of thought; which discovery is totally a master of application, self-analysis and experience.

Only by much searching and mining are gold and diamonds obtained, and man can find every truth connected with his being if he will dig deep into the mine of his soul; and that he is the maker of his character, the moulder of his life, and the builder of his destiny, he may unerringly prove, if he will watch, control, and alter his thoughts, tracing their effects upon himself, upon others, and upon his life and circumstances, linking cause and effect by patient practice and investigation, and utilising his every experience, even to the most trivial, everyday occurrence, as a means of obtaining that knowledge of himself which is Understanding, Wisdom, Power. In this direction, as in no other, is the law absolute that "He that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened"; for only by patience, practice, and ceaseless importunity can a man enter the Door of the Temple of Knowledge.

C.S. Chakravarthy

H. No. 12-13-302, St. No. 9,

Lane. No. 1, Flat. No. 203,

Satya Classic Apartments,

Tarnaka, Secunderabad- 500 017

Telangana State, India.

E-mail: chakkuresearchscholar13@gmail.com

Cell: 09985732397.

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The Integral Vision of Sri Ramakrishna Paramhamsa.

The Divine Mother revealed to me in the Kali temple that it was She who had become everything. She showed me that everything was full of Consciousness. The image was Consciousness, the altar was Consciousness, the water-vessels were Consciousness, the door-sill was Consciousness, the marble-floor was Consciousness -- all was Consciousness. I found everything inside the room soaked, as it were in Bliss--the Bliss of Satchidananda. I saw a wicked man in front of the Kali temple; but in him also I saw the Power of Divine Mother vibrating. That is why I fed a cat with the food that was to be offered to the Divine Mother. I clearly perceived that the Divine Mother Herself had become everything--even the cat.

Again, I find sometimes that living beings are like so many pills made of Indivisible Consciousness...At one place I ran to the meadow to see how living beings are sustained. I saw ants crawling there. It appeared to me that every place was filled with Consciousness. After the realisation of God, He is seen in all beings. But His greater manifestation is in man. Again among men, God manifests Himself more clearly in those devotees who are sattvic, in those who have no desire whatever to enjoy 'women and gold'. Undoutedly, God exists in all beings as the All-pervading Spirit, but the manifestations of His Power are different in different beings. Don't you see that among the human beings there are cheats and gamblers, to say nothing of men who are like tigers. I think of them as the 'cheat God', 'the tiger God'.

God no doubt dwells in all, but He manifests Himself more through man than through other beings. Is man an insignificant thing? He can think of God, he can think of the Infinite, while other living beings cannot...Fire exists in all beings, in all things, but its presence is felt more in wood. One day I was about to gather some flowers. They were everywhere on the trees. At once I had a vision of Virat; it appeared as if His worship was just over. The flowers looked like a bouquet placed on the head of the Deity. I could not pluck them. 

With sincerity and earnestness one can realise God through all religions. Some people indulge in quarrels saying, "One cannot attain anything unless one worships our Krishna", or, "Nothing can be gained without the worship of Kali, our Divine Mother", or, "One cannot be saved without accepting our Christian religion". This is pure dogmatism...One can rightly speak of God only after one has seen Him. The reality is one ans the same; the difference is in name and form. It is like water, called in different languages by different names, such as 'jal', 'pani', and so forth. There are three or four ghats on the lake. The Hindus who drank water at one place call it 'jal'. The Mussalmans at another place call it 'pani'. And the English at a third place call it 'water'. All three denote one and the same thing, the difference being in the name only. In the same way, some address the reality as 'Allah', some as 'God', some as 'Brahman', some as 'Kali', and others by such names as 'Rama', 'Jesus', 'Durga', 'Hari'.

                       ---Extract from "The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna".

C.S. Chakravarthy

H. No. 12-13-302, St. No. 9,

Lane. No. 1, Flat. No. 203,

Satya Classic Apartments,

Tarnaka, Secunderabad- 500 017

Telangana State

E-mail: chakkuresearchscholar13@gmail.com

Cell: 09985732397

Land Line: 040-27006517.

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C.P. BROWN - A SAVANT OF TELUGU LITERATURE.

A Multifaceted Personality: According to Carlyle, the great English essayist, sincerity of purpose and earnestness of conviction are the first essentials of greatness. C.P. Brown was amply endowed with these as a truly great person whose contribution to Telugu literature is immense and monumental. Charles Philip Brown or C.P. Brown was popularly known as 'Brown Dora'.

C.P. Brown was born in Calcutta on 10th November, 1798. His father Rev. David Brown (1763-1812) was a provost at Fort William College in Calcutta. He was a linguist and wished his sons also should learn many languages. After the death of David Brown, the family moved to London. Brown was educated at Haileybury College where he obtained an award in Hindustani and Sanskrit. He landed in India in 1817 to take up a job as a civilian officer under the East India Company. He was appointed second Assistant Co-Collector of Cuddapah (now called Kadapa) in 1820. A major part of his service was rendered in Telugu area.

Sir Thomas Munroe (1761-1827), the then Governor of Madras Presidency, exhorted the civilian officers to study regional languages and carry on administration in the language of the people. In the course of his study, Brown came closer to people and said, "Books alone will not reach the living language. I therefore studied the everyday dialect in the police office. There cannot be a better school. And whenever I had a conversation with a plaintiff, witness or prisoner, with a learned judge or ignorant mental, everyone became my teacher for the time'.

His bungalow was called 'Brown College'.

His Literary Contribution: From the time he landed in India in 1817 till his death at London in 1884 C.P. Brown devoted 66 of his 86 years long life to the study and promotion of Telugu language and literature. He acquired mastery over several languages -- Hebrew, Greek, Latin and Sanskrit. He loved and worked hard to master Telugu more than any other language. His relentless efforts in collecting the manuscripts of Telugu classics and publishing them show his sincerity and steadfastness. He started with a scratch and made into an ocean. There were ten to twenty pundits under his patronage to transcribe the manuscripts on paper and to prepare standard editions of the old classics in Telugu. He collected more than 5000 manuscripts in Telugu, Sanskrit and other languages.

'Manucharitam' and 'Vasucharitram' were printed for the first time by him -- duly edited and with commentaries by native scholars. His English-Telugu Dictionary (published in 1852), Telugu-English Dictionary (of 1300 pages), Dictionary of mixed dialects and Zillah Dictionary speak of his remarkable works in the manner of Dr. Samuel Johnson. As an author he printed and published readers, grammars, chronicles, treatises, translations, essays and a number of Telugu classics with commentaries. It is no exaggeration to state that Brown did yeoman service to Telugu literature at a time when he did not get any patronage from the rulers of the day. His passion for study is evident from his own words, "Want of leisure so often lamented in India', he says, 'denotes want of inclination. I have always had leisure'. He gifted to us more than 5,000 palm leaf manuscript volumes which he collected at a cost of 30,000 rupees, all from his pocket! Brown translated 1,215 verses of Vemana and published them at his own cost. The 'Brown College' in Kadapa consisted of eminent scholars namely Ravipati Gurumurthi Sastri, Advaita Brahma Sastri, Julur Appaiah Sastri and many others.

Brown was very kind towards people. He opened free schools - two at Kadapa, two at Masulipatnam and one at Madras. He did valuable service as the Collector of Guntur during the great Guntur famine in 1832-33. He liberally helped all people in distress. He was kind to all and commanded respect for his character from all. Among his trusted employees mention must be made of Ayodhyapuram Krishna Reddy of Kadapa district. To him, Brown was God.

He held many important posts and honours. He served as the Post Master General, Telugu translator to Government, Member of the Council of Education, Curator of Manuscripts, and after his retirement he worked as Professor of Telugu in London University. He passed away in 1884. Never in the history of the Telugu country, has an individual worked so much and for so long a time for the revival and development of its language and literature. His broad-mindedness is revealed in his own words. "The Apostles taught Christianity without reviling idols. Why should not modern teachers imitate this courteous method?" A remark that demands daily practice by the fanatics of any religion or of any doxy. 

Perpetuating His Memory: Thanks to the pains taken by Sri Venkateswara University, a project was started for a period of three years (1975-78) to study the continuation by C.P. Brown. Dr. G.N. Reddy was made the director of the project and Bangorey was the research officer. The University published four works of Brown. To perpetuate the memory of C.P. Brown and his colossal personality, a library has been constructed at Kadapa on the very site where Brown's bungalow stood. The C.P. Brown memorial trust was formed in 1986. The library has 31,000 books. Recently it was handed over to Yogi Vemana University. Indeed the contribution of men like Brown makes one ask, "When shall such a one come again?"

Challapalli Srinivas Chakravarthy

H. No. 12-13-302, St. No. 9,

Lane. No. 1, Flat. No. 203,

Satya Classic Apartments,

Tarnaka, Secunderabad- 500 017

Telangana State

E-mail: chakkuresearchscholar13@gmail.com

Cell: 09985732397.

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