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Onto the biotechnology revolution
by Radhakrishna Rao

IF the 20th century was the age of computers and electronics, the 21st century is all set to witness a spectacular revolution in biotechnology. According to the Office Technology Assessment of the US Congress, biotechnology is a technique that uses living organisms to make or modify a product to improve plants or animals or to develop microorganisms for specific use. Fundamental to the strides made by the biotechnology is the so-called recombinant DNA technology which makes it possible to transfer a desired gene across the sexual barriers even from plant source to animal and vice versa.

Agricultural experts feel that if biotechnology is imaginatively exploited for crop improvement, India could ensure food security for its ever-growing human population. Dr Manju Sharma, Secretary of the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), says that modern tools of biotechnology sought to increase plant productivity and quality in a sustainable way. Novel genes could be introduced into crops so that herbicides and pesticides are not needed to protect the crops. As it is, US multinational Monsanto has developed a variety of insect resistant crops through genetic engineering techniques.

In the area of healthcare and medicine, biotechnology holds out limitless scope for improving the quality of human life. The production of high quality human insulin called Humlin through biotechnology route has proved to be a big boon to those suffering from diabetes. Humlin is very similar to the insulin produced by the human body and has less sideeffects when administered directly into the human body. Humlin is produced by introducing human insulin producing gene into the bacteria E.Coli, generally considered the workhorse of the genetic engineering research. As a matter of fact, this unique microorganism functions as a Humlin producing factory by multiplying the human insulin gene at a rapid speed. Similarly, human melanin (skin pigment) is produced from genetically engineered tobacco plants.

The highly ambitious human genome project involving researchers from a number of industrialised countries could help tinker and replace human genes responsible for causing a variety of diseases and disorders. As genetic engineers point out, knowing the human gene map will give us the ability to predict and prevent diseases such as cancer, osteroporosis, alzhimer’s disease, schizophrenia, diabetes and asthma. Dr Peter Little, a Biochemist at the Imperial College, believes that “human genome project will change the way we see ourselves. Biology is entering a new world; not only do we feel a revolutionary leap in what we know but also we face radical changes in the tools we must use to understand the information”.

Gene therapy made possible by the advances in biotechnology and gene mapping is all set to revolutionise the way we tackle and treat diseases. For instance, a defective gene responsible for a particular disorder in a patient can be replaced by a healthy gene to ensure a permanent cure. Similarly, more potent drugs are being developed using biotechnology to prevent the onset of some diseases. A recent example is the way drug Tamoxifen is now being used in a preventive role to blunt the high risk of breast cancer.

Obviously the revolutionary gene therapy is trying to find ways of modifying or turning off harmful genes and the potential of knowing which gene causes which illness. Molecular engineering, a fast emerging area of biotechnology, holds the promise of developing miniscule “biological engines” that could effectively repair damaged tissues and genes at the molecular level. Perhaps in none too distant a future mental and psychiatric disorders could be treated as effectively as sore throat or mild fever.

As things stand now the advances in biotechnology will change the face of medicare over the next two decades for more radically then in the last 2000 years put together.

Mixing tradition with modernity
by V.P. Prabhakar

MOST significant among the activities of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has been the winning initiative for revocation of US patent on turmeric, which besides confirming its pioneering efforts to successfully safeguard traditional Indian knowledge.

More importantly, according to the annual report for 1998-99 of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Union Ministry of Science and Technology, this success had some far-reaching effects viz: it demonstrated that the CSIR and other Indian institutions were acquiring capabilities to fight the complex techno-legal issues of IPR both defensively and aggressively, to meet the challenges under the WTO regime. It also showed the importance of appropriate documentation and public availability of records of traditional knowledge in a systematic manner which can be provided as evidence of prior knowledge.

The CSIR has a country-wide network of 40 laboratories and 80 field centres covering fundamental and applied research and development in all areas of science and technology, barring atomic research, developing and nurturing S&T human resource for the country through extra moral support and promoting scientific talent through awards, fellowships etc.

The S&T contributions from the CSIR are of value to almost all socio-economic sectors. The CSIR carries out R&D and provides services of value not only to industry but also to other sectors of the economy, e.g. agriculture, health, energy, rural development, transport and defence.

Under technological achievements, the National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI), Lucknow, carried out an extensive ethnobotanical investigation in Kangra valley. It has provided new knowledge on the traditional uses of several plant species which can be utilised in tribal development programmes. The inventory provides very useful data for establishing plant based cottage industries in the tribal tracts, especially for herbal drugs, food processing, fibre products and gum resins etc.

The Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology (IHBT), Palampur, has standardised the mechanical plucking of china hybrid tea, keeping in view the two leaves and a bud plucking standard. This will greatly help the tea industry in Himachal Pradesh, which is currently facing the problem of labour shortage.

The IHBT, according to the report has also succeeded in propagation of tea by 4 to 8 node cuttings as against conventional method of single node cutting by treating the node cuttings with different auxins and phenols resulting in 85-90 per cent success in rooting and transfer to field within nine months as against conventional methods needing nearly two years.

The IHBT also imporved upon an existing oil distillation unit (400 kg capacity per batch) by integrating a compatible cohobation column designed by it with the oil distillation unit resulting in 30 per cent increase in oil recovery.

The Regional Research Laboratory, Jorhat, undertook study on the utilisation of wild banana plants for producing fibres and other useful materials. The main objective was to develop an appropriate technology to extract fibres from the sheaths of banana plants and then convert the fibres into twines and fabrics in conventional jute processing machinery for making eco-friendly products. Based on this work the government of Sri Lanka has requested RRL, Jorhat, to extend technical assistance to develop industries based on banana fibre in Sri Lanka and to impart training to Sri Lanka entrepreneurs.

Floriculture was non-existing in Himachal Pradesh a decade back. Arising from the training imparted to 150 growers of HP by IHBT, Palampur, on commercial floriculture sponsored by the Himachal Government, DRDA and HIMCON, 150 hectares have been brought under commercial floriculture.

The National Institute of Science and Technology and Development Studies (NISTADS), New Delhi, conceived and executed a field experiment called SAKSHAM (meaning empowered or enabling) for habilitating the mentally challenged adults to become partially/fully economically independent. A reconnaissance study was conducted by the NISTADS to understand the actual condition of the mentally challenged adult after they leave the special schools or vocational centres followed by another study of employing appropriate select technologies which they could pursue as a vocational career to move on the path of economic independence.

The technology of mushroom cultivation was selected for field testing the concept. Though mushroom cultivation technology is well known, application of this environment sensitive technology by a group of mentally challenged people made the experiment unique. This was a departure from routine repetitive tasks used for training such people. It proved that mentally challenged were capable of performing more complex functions than is usually believed. The project has since been selected as one of the innovative projects having societal impact potential by Third World Network of Scientific Organisation (TWNSO), Trieste, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) of sharing of experience among developing countries.

The National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI), Hyderabad, carried out a number of earthquake studies leading to significant findings.

Plastics: The versatile materials
by D.P. Singh

PLASTICS are one of the most wonderful and versatile materials created by man. Modern society is using tools like computers, mobile telephones, fibre optics, cables and miniature electronic gadgets on massive scale. These have been made possible with the advent of plastics.

Plastics have become a part of our daily life. We begin our day by brushing our teeth with a plastic toothbrush. We take bath using plastic buckets. We wear clothes made from terylene and nylon. We use plastic dishes and melamine crockery in the kitchen. We put on shoes with synthetic rubber soles. We travel in cars and buses, which have a number of plastic parts.

This wonder material can easily be seen in the form of polythene carrybags, toys, pipes, cables, chairs and tables, television, computers and bank credit cards. There is no sphere of human activity in which plastics have not made their entry. Their uses range from agriculture, chemical industry, packaging and space exploration to offshore drilling.

Plastic is a material that is synthesized from a variety of polymers such as polystyrene, polyvinyl and polypropylene. Thanks to their properties like durability and resistance to degradation, plastics now find a place in every field.

Plastic entered the Indian market in late sixties. Due to its pliability, strength and being inexpensive it became a boon for the manufacturers and consumers. The current annul production of plastics in India is approximately 1.56 million tons. It is likely to be as high as 2.5 million tons by the year 2000.

Plastics have indeed out-performed many materials in terms of durability and energy consumption. For example PVC pipes last longer as compared to metallic ones and also require less energy in production. The plastics or poly-jute bags have replaced the conventional jute bags in cement and fertiliser industry. These poly-bags are better seepage-proof, have longer shelf life, are consumer preferred and have overall favourable economics.

In the field of medicine and surgery, plastics have played a remarkable role. Medical apparatuses, disposable syringes, tubing and capsules are a few examples. Even the surgical implants in different parts of the body, such as heart valves, pace makers, replacement blood vessels and artificial joints are made from inert plastic.

Plastics not only protect but also conserve and improve the environment around us. Substitution of expensive conventional materials such as wood, rubber, leather, jute and metals by plastics has certainly been helpful in conserving the fast depleting natural resources such as forests and ore deposits.

Expoerts have estimated that 6000 tons of plastic furniture saves 14,000 cubic meter of wood that is available from 32,000 hectares of forests. Another estimate suggests that if 2 per cent of the wooden boxes used in this country for packaging were being replaced, we would save almost a lakh of trees per year.

Plastic wastes have tremendous economic value as co-products and by-products. It has been estimated that nearly 4 per cent of municipal garbage in our country comprises plastic wastes and a major fraction of this is recycled. According to one estimate approximately 37 per cent of virgin plastic produced is available for ecycling and this amount is likely to increase in the years to come.

In India per capita consumption of plastics is low. As against the world average of 18 kilogram per person, in India per capita annual consumption of plastics is only about 2.1 kilogram at present. But the amount of reuse and recycling of plastic waste is fairly high in India.

The plastic recycling industry is of tremendous economic value in India. It provides gainful employment to thousands of skilled and unskilled people. It provides cheap inputs for industry. It also provides cheap, affordable consumer products for the middle class and poorer sections of society.

Processes have been developed for clean incineration effectively to utilise the caloric value of plastics. The technology to manufacture bio-degradable plastics has already been developed in India. Bio-degradable of eco-friendly plastics are likely to become very popular in near future.

In the end, it would be apt to say that plastics have brought about metamorphic changes in modern society and rapid technological developments to take us ahead to the 21st century.

Surface mounted devices
by Deepak Bagai

SURFACE mount technology makes use of microminiature leaded or leadless components which are directly soldered on to the areas on the printed circuit board. The goal of semiconductor industry is to minimise the size of electronic components. The compact size of computers and related peripherals, video and radio equipment and many other electronic devices is attributed to compact component packaging and assembly methodology, namely the surface mounted technology.

In traditional circuit board manufacturing the component leads are inserted into holes of the printed circuit board and then soldering is done. Usually the components are only on one side of the board and the conducting material is on the other side. In surface mount assembly methodology the components are positioned on the conductor paths with the help of glue or solder paste. Then they are soldered by reflow process. The various categories of surface mounted components manufactured are the chip resistors, chip capacitors, inductors, discrete semiconductors, phototransistors, LEDs, optoisolators switches, integrated circuits and so on. The most versatile surface mounted integrated circuit configuration is the small outline (SO) package. This is similar to a miniture dual in line (DIL) pacakge. Chips having more than 28 pins are usually installed in square plastic leaded chip carriers (PLCC) having J-shaped leads. Most of the advanced microprocessors are incorporated in PLCCs.

The advantages of surface mount technology are manifold. The compact architecture of surface mounted components reduces the printed circuit board area. SMDs are lighter as compared to the through hole leaded components. Further, the surface mounting enables the use of double-sided boards. Components can be inserted on both sides of the PCB. This paves the way for saving in space over boards assembled with the help of conventional design components. Since SMCs have no leads to be inserted, they are more compatible with automated assembly machines. This enables faster soldering process. The overall cost of SMT manufacture is considerably less as compared to the corresponding through-hole component method.

Surface mount technology has had a major impact on the computer and electronic industry. There has been a spurt in VLSI devices over the last 10 years. The fabrication facilities in India need a boost. The seed capital for installing an IC fabrication plant is prohibitively high. The day is not far when our country will emerge as strongly in IC design as it has in software development.

Computer-assisted aids for the handicapped
by Deepak Bagai

A LARGE cross-section of our society is suffering from afflictions such as paralysis, loss of limb, blindness, speech and hearing defects. Computers have added variety to the quality of life of these unfortunate persons. Mobility is one of the essential needs of the handicapped people. Several advancements in microprocessor technology have enabled the design of reliable electrically powered wheel chairs. Computerised automobiles for the handicapped are now available. Patients deprived of limbs can have a sigh of relief, as microcontrolled Functional Electrical Simultation (FES) devices are available. These devices help the paralysed limbs to stand and at times walk.

Microcomputers are being used to provide a portable reading aid for the blind. A device called “Optacon” converts and optical image into a vibrating fascimile. A blind reader can feel a tactile fascimile of the original printed matter. Microprocessor based speech preprocessing devices are being designed to help the hearing impaired individuals. Ear is basically a transducer that converts the mechanical energy of a sound wave into electrical pulses travelling to the auditory nerve. Voice to print conversion helps the deaf persons. The computer software that recognises and ‘hears’ speech is readily available as an aid to the handicapped persons. Significant research has been done in the areas of speech generation and recognition. Computers have increased the job potential of the handicapped persons. Social organisations should come forward to create resources for this section of society.

New products & discoveries

Oracle Open world softwave

Nucleus Software, country’s banking automation software, is globally launching its flagship product Fitness. The software is built on scalable Oracle platform, supports multi-branch, multi-currency, multi-product and multi-lingual implementation.

The software with advanced client/server architecture for complete scalability can operate independently or as an integrated system.

The software offers complete solutions to the banking and financial services like general ledger, collections, post dated cheque management, application processing and liquideposits.

Nortel Networks service solution

Nortel Networks announced that Microsoft will become the first company to use Nortel Networks’ new service solution — enabling the popular Internet service provider to offer hot, new Internet telephony services to its MSN Internet Access subscribers nationwide.

Internet Call Waiting service of Nortel combines the benefits of traditional call waiting and caller ID with the Internet to enable consumers to see who’s calling when they are on-line and to manage the call without losing their Internet connection.

Through a pop-up window on their computer screen, consumers can also decide whether to take the call over their telephone or computer, forward the call to another phone number, including a wireless phone or simply play one of two system-recorded greetings to the caller.

Apple Unveils iBook

Apple India has unveiled iBook, the “iMac unplugged.” iBook features “all day” battery life of up to six hours, Pentium-toasting performance, revolutionary AirPort wireless Internet networking for cable-free Internet access.

With a 12.1” TFT display for super-crip images and video, PowerPC G3 microprocessor, built-in 56K modem, Ethernet networking, built-in CD Rom drive, two built-in antennas and an internal slot to accept Apple’s new AirPort wireless networking card.

Informix tieup with VXL

Informix International Inc., the leaders in enterprise database-powered solutions, have announced their strategic solutions partnership with Bangalore based VXL Instruments, a leading manufacturer of display and networking terminals, to widen their reach in the Indian market.

As a value added reseller (VAR) of Informix, VXL will provide leading edge business intelligence and web/e-commerce solutions in the Indian market place.

Pentafour

Pentafour Software & Exports Ltd, the multimedia major of the Asian sub-continent was ranked third by “The Roncarelli Report” of the computer animation industry for the year 1998-99.

The benchmark annual report of the computer anination industry is generated by Pixel Animation Directory — the computer animation news people Inc. US with Robi Roncarelli as the CEO.

The report discusses and analyses the significant changes that the animation industry has been subjected to during 1998, changes that are drawing the industry into 1999, the growth potential and expansion of the industry, the future effects and many more such facets.

Dell PowerVault products

Dell Computer Corporation has extended its leadership in Windows NT Storage Area Networks (SANs) with the introduction of new PowerVault SAN products and capabilities, as well as support from Compaq ProLiant servers within a PowerVault SAN.

This new capability provides up to 8.4 terabytes of fibre channel storage and upto 16.8 terabytes of backup storage easily supporting data centre applications such as servers managing large databases.

The PowerEdge 2400 server offers latest Intel Pentium III processor technology, expands the price/performance and availability boundaries of workgroup servers from Dell by offering the latest Intel processor technology with 133 MHz FSB (front side bus), redundant hot-swap power supplies and embedded raid technology.

Datapro ties up with Quark

Datapro has announced its distribution tie-up with Quark. Datapro will be national distributor of Quark’s products in India. Quark develops software tools for the high-end professional electronic publishing and communication and the design industry.

ATM’s bandwidth made available

The Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) forum has said that Indian industry and business could benefit using ATM’s bandwidth which has been recently made available to them.

The ATM is a core technology that allows service providers, network operators and corporates build high bandwidth, secure, reliable and manageable networks that empowere-business.

ATM is the well-defined and logical extension of all the Broadband Integrated Services Data Networking (B-ISDN) work that has been progressed over the last 10 years.

The ATM networks, using fibre optics, can offer a bandwidth up to several 10,000 mbps, making management of data, voice and video traffic on the network an inherent capacity hitherto not offered by any known network “core”

NetAid concert’s new record

Cisco Systems, the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet, has announced that the Internet broadcast of the NetAid concert in Geneva, London and New Jersy on Octobr 9, set a new world record for the largest Internet broadcast event for a single day.

More than 2.4 million streams of the NetAid concert were seen on www.netaid.org. The concert served as the kick-off for NetAid, a long-term initiative developed by Cisco and the United Nations Development Programme to help eradicate extreme poverty.

New capabilities will be addd to www.netaid.org, making it easier for people to take action in the fight against extreme poverty. A new resource matching centre will go live by the end of the year, enabling people around the world to post information about their needs or about resources they can provide.

The resource centre will allow active browsing of the posting, as well as automatic matching and notification of corresponding needs and resources.

Solution for enterprise storage management

Open platform solutions for stress free and reliable management of enterprise data have been announced by 3Hewlett-Packard. These include a new family of tape libraries and the HP SureStore DLT 80 tape-backup drive for high-end It environments.

The tape-backup drive can store 80 GB on a single tape and transfer more than 40 GB of data per hour (assuming 2:1 data compression) - the fastest data-transfer rate in the midrange-tape drive market today.

These new products address a growing customer need for reduced backup window, improved critical applications like ERP place heavier demands on the performance and capacity of tape-backup systems.

The HP SureStore libraries are optimized for Microsoft Windows NT environments. Designed for medium-sized to large companies, these libraries are ideal for backing up central file serves or datebase servers.

— R. Suryamurthy and Gaurav Choudhry

Science Quiz
by J. P. Garg

1. Name the scientist who was selected as “Man of the Millennium” by the international Time magazine recently.

2. It is believed that out galaxy is surrounded by a massive halo, which is about 10 times heavier than the galaxy. This halo is supposed to contain objects called MACHOs. What does MACHO stand for?

3. Celphos is a pesticide widely used in stores and homes to kill insects, rodents etc. in foodgrains. Its consumption produces dangerous effects which may lead to death in a short time. What is celphos chemically? Which harmful gas does it produce when it comes in contact with moisture?

4. Machines based on common binary logic respond to only two extreme states, say, ‘yes’ or ‘no’/‘on’ or ‘off’. What is the logic called which can control intermediate states between these two extreme situations (for example, a dishwashing machine based on this logic can release powder according to how dirty the water is after an initial washing cycle)?

5. What general name is given to animals like snakes, cockroaches, white mice etc. Which eat their own species during scarcity of food?

6. This instrument consists of a rapidly spinning wheel with a heavy rim, which is suspended in a system of rings that allow the wheel to rotate on its axis in any plane. Name this instrument which is used as a motion stabilizer in many systems.

7. Can you think about how many artificial satellites are circling around the earth at present?

8. This hormone helps maintain blood pressure, releases fatty acids from fats and stimulates the release of glucose from the liver to increase energy supply in the body. The first hormone synthesised in the laboratory, its synthetic form is used medicinally in some situations, especially for recovery of patients under shock or cardiac attack. Can you name this hormone?

9. Our fingers and nose are cooler than the rest of our body during winter. Can you state the reason briefly?

10. SRISTI is an Ahmedabad-based voluntary organisation doing commendable work in assisting and promoting technological innovators and their inventions pertaining to local scientific and technical problems. What is the full name of this organisation?