Research

Researchers used technique called ‘floating film transfer method’ to obtain ultrathin films of an organic material, squaraine, and to transfer it over the copper articles as layers. The anti-corrosion activity was tested in the presence of hydrochloride using electrochemical techniques as well as surface characterization techniques. The tests showed that nearly 40% corrosion protection is reached with just one layer of squaraine and increased up to 98% with four layers.

“Usually eel-loaches are found in fast-flowing streams of south and south-east Asia. Some species are found in Indonesia and the North-Eastern parts of India. This is the first species found in the Western Ghats and more importantly, this is the first subterranean eel-loach species to be found in the world,” says Rajeev Ragavan, assistant professor at the Department of Fisheries Resource Management at KUFOS, who is leading the team studying the species.

The study includes species such as the spitting spiders (Scytodes thoracica), spiders with ‘natural’ mirrors in their abdomen (Thwaitesia sp) and those that steal others’ food (Argyrodes flavescens) – a phenomenon which scientists term as kleptoparasitism. Then there are species which are found only in India.

The bacterial species namely Exiguobacterium sibiricum strain DR11 and Exiguobacterium undae strain DR14 were isolated from the wetlands adjoining the university.

India’s first ‘Gaganyaan’ human space flight mission is slated to take off in 2022 and the training for its crew, drawn from among experienced Indian Air Force pilots, has already commenced in Russia, according to S Somnath, Director, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC).

The new firework, which cover popularly used sound emitting crackers, flowerpots, pencils, chakkar and sparklers, are based on formulations developed by a consortium of eight laboratories under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) led by Nagpur-based National Environmental Engineering Research Institute.

The study has been done jointly by researchers from the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuroscience (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, and All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi. It included two groups of 30 individuals each, matched in age, gender and education. The first group comprised those with bipolar disorder while the other was control group of healthy individuals.

The technique, developed by PhD student Souvik Ghosh and Associate Professor Ambarish Ghosh, uses a focused laser beam to trap and manoeuvre a nano-sized silver disk, which in turn can attract and ensnare nanoparticles when light is shone on it.

Two satellites would be sent to space on board a regular PSLV mission and the two would be made to dock with each other, Sivan said, describing the exercise as a technology demonstration experiment.