Scientists develop rice that requires no cooking

BHUBANESWAR: Indian scientists claim to have developed a rice variety that requires no cooking, only soaking in water.

The rice variety developed at the government-run Central Rice Research Institute (CRRI) at Cuttack in Orissa is characterized by low amylase content and becomes soft on soaking in water, institute director Tapan Kumar Adhya said in an interview.

Production of rice in India is extensive and last year's production figure stands at 98.5 million tonnes. The present variety, he said, can serve specific niche consumers and make rice cooking a hassle-free affair.

The new variety, named Aghanibora, tested by the institute is of 145 days duration with a yield of 4-4.5 tonnes per hectare and is at par with the currently grown rice varieties in the country, he said.

"One can get ready to eat rice after soaking it for about 45 minutes in ordinary water, and 15 minutes if soaked in lukewarm water, whereas other rice varieties need cooking," Adhya said.

The rice is a local, improved land variety of Assam under the 'Komal chawl' category and is not genetically modified rice. It is like any other rice variety grown and consumed in India.

"However, this variety is usually prepared as parboiled rice and then it can be used for consumption after milling," the researcher said.

The initial experimentation was to test whether the rice variety could be grown in the hot and humid climate of Orissa and still retain the property of softness.

Scientists at the institute have done extensive research over the past three years and tested its nutritional properties and other biochemical parameters, he said.

"We are glad that our experiment has proved successful, and from our knowledge we believe it could be grown in the eastern states of India," he said.

"The present rice variety is an already released variety and can be taken up by the farmers with the availability of the seeds," Adhya said.

According to the institute director, the rice variety can be grown in all the eastern states of Assam, Bihar, West Bengal, Orissa and coastal Andhra Pradesh. "As such there is no technical barrier in cultivating it in any part of the country," he said.

"We do not have knowledge of any other country developing such rice variety as rice is a cereal with huge diversity.

"We do not have specific data about the average household requirement of fuel. But this variety of rice will help in saving fuel, at least for cooking of rice. Moreover, it will be a relief to housewives," he said.

Giant size plant fossils discovered near Jodhpur

NEW DELHI: The largest non-carbonaceous plant fossils, 140 times bigger than today's algae species, have been discovered in western Rajasthan, opening a new window for understanding evolution of life on earth.

A team of researchers from the University of Lucknow have discovered the fossils with physical characteristics of Vaucheriacean plant, a type of yellow-green algae found in fresh or marine water, five kms from Jodhpur in Sursagar mines region.

Generally plant fossils contain carbon and have simple structures. Fossils which are non-carbonaceous or lacking carbon content are rare, according to the scientists.

The findings of mega-plant fossils imply a high possibility of presence of hydrocarbons in the Marwar Basin as the Vaucheriacean plants are known to reserve oil as food material, the University said.

The fossils, which are visible to the naked eye are well-preserved with the size of the plant 140 times larger than the existing species, lead author of the paper, Surendra Kumar of Centre of Advanced Study in Geology, University of Lucknow said.

The scientists said the plants attained such large size during the Ediacaran period some 630-542 million years ago.

The occurrence of giant-sized plant fossils in Jodhpur sandstone has opened a new window for understanding the evolution of life, especially the phenomena of giganticism in plants during the period, the scientists said.

CAT series: Reading with an aim

The verbal ability (VA) and reading comprehension (RC) section of the CAT represents the biggest hurdle for aspirants who do not have a convent

education. In fact, at times, even the ability to converse well in English cannot guarantee a high percentile for those with a convent education. What strategy and action plan then should you devise to enhance your scores in the language section of the CAT?

READ MORE
The most common advice concerning the verbal ability and reading comprehension section of the CAT is that students should inculcate the habit of reading more and more. However, when given this suggestion the obvious question on the mind of any aspirant is whether developing a reading habit can actually help solve one’s problem in the language section in such a short time frame of four months?

The answer to this question is largely in the negative. You require at least two to three years of preparation to be able to successfully and considerably enhance your scores in VA and RC. Four months would merely be like scratching the surface. Having said that, the truth is you will have to read if you want to increase your scores in the VA and RC. Any which ways, reading is one of the primary activities that you would be doing as part of your preparations. However, the key is to do this activity with a defined purpose in mind rather than doing it blindly.

One of the key problems aspirants face when they take the CAT is that the language is too complex and the options for the answers appear to be way too similar to each other. Your ability to crack this section would depend on three broad factors. These give rise to eight possibilities of the kind of language you are going to face:
Short sentences (10-15 words long) versus long sentences (25+ words long)
Easy vocabulary versus tough vocabulary
Familiar topic versus unfamiliar topic

LEARN TO COMPREHEND LONGER SENTENCES
Consider this paragraph from a reading comprehension section of the CAT 2008 question paper: “Finally, while we still have some other past societies to consider before we switch our attention to the modern world, we must already be struck by some parallels between the Maya and the past societies. As on Mangareva, the Maya environmental and population problems led to increasing warfare and civil strife. Similarly, on Easter Island and at Chaco Canyon, the Maya peak population numbers were followed swiftly by political and social collapse. Paralleling the eventual extension of agriculture from Easter Island’s coastal lowlands to its uplands, and from the Mimbres floodplain to the hills, Copan’s inhabitants also expanded from the floodplain to the more fragile hill slopes, leaving them with a larger population to feed when the agricultural boom in the hills went bust. Like Easter Island chiefs erecting ever larger statues, eventually crowned by Pukao, and like Anasazi elite treating themselves to necklaces of 2,000 turquoise beads, Maya kings sought to outdo each other with more and more impressive temples, covered with thicker and thicker plaster — reminiscent in turn of the extravagant conspicuous consumption by modern American CEOs. The passivity of Easter chiefs and Maya Kings in the face of the real big threats to their societies completes our list of disquieting parallels.”

The above paragraph contains 202 words and six sentences — making the average number of words in a sentence 33.66! Needless to say, when aspirants face such difficult convoluted language they are unable to solve questions based on such passages. Thus, for you to crack the language section, it is crucial to read more and more the primary objective of your reading being the improvisation of your skills in handling the most complex language.

IN CONCLUSION
• Focus on improving your ability to comprehend longer sentences with complex vocabulary on unfamiliar topics
• Do all your reading activity with this goal in mind and you will realise that a three-year cycle of development would crash into four months

Art Abroad

Art, at one level, is all about self-exploration and discovery and artists mirror their experiences and influences through their work. “This is

where the importance of a vast and varied exposure lies,” says Ruchi Goyal Kaura. She goes on to state that pursuing a Master’s degree in art at a foreign university undeniably expands the spectrum of influences and augments one’s artistic sensibilities.

Explaining further, she says, “Firstly, the interaction with students from various parts of the world facilitates an understanding of the fact that people are sometimes strikingly different in terms of their sensibilities. For instance, certain colours and symbols are equated with joy in certain cultures while these same colours and symbols connote grief in other cultures. This understanding eventually helps an artist to evolve and develop an individual style that transcends differences and is universally appreciated.”

Kaura, however, adds that there are no straitjacketed formulas towards achieving universal acceptance. “It is important for artists to understand that interpretation of art is very personal and, hence, any given work of art is bound to court both appreciation and criticism. Therefore, my Master’s degree abroad, among other things, also taught me that art can go a long way in showing the world to respect and live with differences,” she reveals.

Talking about the other specific benefits that her course abroad provided, Kaura says, “Nottingham Trent University, like most other universities abroad, employs a studentled methodology in terms of teaching art. Consequent to choosing our specialisations we (each student) had to propose a learning agreement to the concerned teachers. These learning agreements outlined the specific topics that we wanted to learn about.

Thereby, each student got training in his/her specific interest areas. We also had to frame questionnaires on various subjects. This approach resulted in a more conscious involvement from students. In other words we knew exactly why we were learning a specific topic and how we want to leverage it in our work later.”

Kaura adds that most foreign universities are relatively better equipped in terms of books and literature pertaining to art. “I do not undermine the literary reserves found in our Indian institutions of art. But it is a fact that most foreign universities have memberships of international libraries. This definitely translates to a clear benefit for students.” She further adds, “these universities also have a tradition of inviting guest speakers of international stature and they give lessons on the entrepreneurial aspects of art, a feature that is largely amiss in Indian institutions teaching art. Opportunities to visit international art fairs and galleries (aided through discounts) is yet another advantage.”

Kaura sums up by saying that pursuing a Master’s degree in fine arts abroad also makes it easier for one to participate in international art competitions. “These competitions at one level help in gaining visibility for the artist. Simultaneously, the artists get exposure to various social causes. On my part, I had participated in a rug designing/making contest by RugMark — a not-for-profit organisation that is dedicated to providing a better life for thousands of children who are illegally employed in the rug industry of South Asia. I designed a rug (picture inset) that expounds the philosophy of providing a conducive environment for these children within mainstream society. The flowers symbolise the children and the patterns in the backdrop symbolise various avenues for growth and development.”

Window to the world

Institute of Management Technology (IMT) Ghaziabad has recently become one of the signatories to the Erasmus Mundus External Cooperation Window

(EMECW). This gives an impetus to research, faculty and student mobility activities between IMT Ghaziabad and premier business schools of Europe in Lot 11 of EMECW. The inaugural summit is to be held at IMT Ghaziabad between October 6 and 9. Institution heads and deans of leading universities in Asia, Europe, Middle East and Latin America will take part in the summit.

Anwar Ali, director of IMT Ghaziabad, added that through its international relations, IMT Ghaziabad has ensured its position among premier business schools in India. The Erasmus Mundus agreement is another ‘feather in the cap’ for IMT Ghaziabad. He pointed out that this would provide impetus for IMT to strive further.

Kim van der Borght, professor of international economic law at the Centre for Economic Law & Governance (Vrije Universiteit Brussels) said that such associations with business schools in India would open up opportunities for students and faculty members at Vrije Universiteit. It will give them a chance to work closely with their counterparts at IMT learn about Indian business practices. Institutes under the Lot 11 stand to gain from this strengthened cooperation between IMT and VUB.

According to Jayanthi Ranjan, head of international relations, IMT Ghaziabad, with the Erasmus Mundus cooperation agreement, IMT stands to gain many opportunities and thus reiterate its position in the area of international relations.

Filip Callewaert, head of the international relations & mobility office at Vrije Universiteit Brussels commented that they have already formulated a successful relationship with IMT Ghaziabad and Erasmus Mundus ensures that this relation will be strengthened further and the spirit of cooperation will be extended to other institutions in the Lot 11 EMECW.

Akhil Gupta, central coordinator Erasmus Vrije Universiteit, commented that Erasmus Mundus would be highly beneficial for faculty members and students in terms of exposure to education at premier universities in Europe. Besides, the financial grants would provide an impetus to increased student and faculty mobility.

A new era of scientific discovery

Saudi Arabia’s economy has been inextricably linked to its oil reserves. Oil accounts for more than 90% of exports and nearly 75% of government

revenues in the country, thereby, facilitating the creation of a welfare state. However, during phases of low oil prices the Saudi Arabian government has faced its own share of challenges especially in terms of funding its welfare state. Hence, for sometime progressive thinkers and visionaries in the region have realised that economic diversity is pivotal to sustainable long-term growth and that knowledge is the key towards achieving this diversity.

Against this backdrop and empowered by his own vision of creating a knowledge society based on cross-cultural understanding, King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud established KAUST a world-class graduate-level research hub that was officially inaugurated on September 23.

Explaining the significance of KAUST for Saudi Arabia and its vision for the world, Ali Ibrahim Al Naimi, chairman, board of trustees, KAUST, and minister of petroleum and mineral resources, Saudi Arabia, said: “The KAUST global research and education network supports diverse talents both on its campus and at other premier universities and research institutions through collaborative research agreements, grants and student scholarship programmes. By doing so, this university envisages to engage some of the best minds in the world to leverage the diversified and rich natural resources of this country to find sustainable and innovative solutions to some of the most pressing socio-economic problems of the world that include shortage of food, water and energy. For instance, the Red Sea contains many diverse habitats and unexplored deeper regions that provide unique opportunities for fundamental scientific and engineering research in biology, chemistry, geology and physics.”

Elaborating on upcoming research initiatives, Choon Fong Shih, president, KAUST, stated, “There is an abundance of sunlight in the Saudi Arabian region which can generate solar energy. We want to devise a new range of cost-effective and sophisticated technologies (through research) that can help easy conversion of this energy to usable forms. Similarly, we are focusing on research on water and water treatment technologies. ‘Desalination’ that will eventually augment the supply of drinking water is a core focus.”

Talking about emerging research trends in science and technology, Shih said, “Research in science and technology is becoming increasingly field-oriented and, hence, the growing number of industryacademia partnerships. Also, worldwide the challenges that have a relatively higher immediacy quotient are given priority in terms of research. Moreover, the approach is becoming more interdisciplinary and countries globally are realising the importance of mutual collaboration. They are also realising that integrated research programmes can help develop international relations.”

On its part, KAUST is organising interdisciplinary research teams across its three academic divisions namely, chemical and life sciences and engineering, mathematical and computer sciences and engineering and physical sciences and engineering.

It's raining pebbles on recently discovered exoplanet

WASHINGTON: A simulation developed by scientists at Washington University in St Louis has suggested that the atmosphere of COROT-7b, an exoplanet discovered last February by the COROT space telescope, is made up of the ingredients of rocks, which results in a rain of pebbles on the surface of the planet.

Theoretical models suggest the planet has an atmosphere of the components of rock in gaseous form and lava or boiling oceans on its surface.

According to models by scientists at Washington University in St Louis, COROT-7b's atmosphere is made up of the ingredients of rocks and when "a front moves in," pebbles condense out of the air and rain into lakes of molten lava below.

The model was developed by Laura Schaefer, research assistant in the Planetary Chemistry Laboratory, and Bruce Fegley Jr, professor of earth and planetary sciences in Arts and Sciences.

COROT-7b is less than twice the size of Earth and only five times it's mass.

In August 2009 a consortium of European observatories led by the Swiss reported the discovery of COROT-7c, a second planet orbiting COROT-7. Using the data from both planets, they were able to calculate that COROT-7b has an average density about the same as Earth's.

"This means it is almost certainly a rocky planet made up of silicate rocks like those in Earth's crust," said Fegley.

COROT-7b's atmosphere has none of the volatile elements or compounds that make up Earth's atmosphere, such as water, nitrogen and carbon dioxide.

"The only atmosphere this object has is produced from vapour arising from hot molten silicates in a lava lake or lava ocean," Fegley said. To find out what might that atmosphere be like, Schaefer and Fegley have used thermo chemical equilibrium calculations to model COROT-7b's atmosphere.
"Sodium, potassium, silicon monoxide and then oxygen - either atomic or molecular oxygen - make up most of the atmosphere," said Fegley.

But there are also smaller amounts of the other elements found in silicate rock, such as magnesium, aluminium, calcium and iron.

The peculiar atmosphere has its own singular weather. "As you go higher the atmosphere gets cooler and eventually you get saturated with different types of 'rock' the way you get saturated with water in the atmosphere of Earth," explained Fegley.

"But instead of a water cloud forming and then raining water droplets, you get a 'rock cloud' forming and it starts raining out little pebbles of different types of rock," he added.