British, Japanese scientists win Nobel Prize for stem cell research

Two scientists from different generations won the Nobel Prize in medicine on October 8 for the groundbreaking discovery that cells in the body can be reprogrammed to become completely different kinds, potentially opening the door to growing customized tissues for treatments. 

The work of British researcher John Gurdon and Japanese scientist Shinya Yamanaka who was born the year Mr. Gurdon made his discovery has raised hopes of developing transplant tissue to treat diseases like Parkinson’s and diabetes. And it has spurred a new generation of laboratory studies into other diseases, including schizophrenia, that may lead to new treatments. The prize committee at Stockholm's Karonlinska institute said the discovery has “ revolutionized our understanding of how cells and organisms develop”

Sir John Bertrand Gurdon (JBG), Fellow of Royal Society (born 2 October 1933) is a British developmental biologist. He is best known for his pioneering research in nuclear transplantation and cloning.

Prof Gurdon used a gut sample to clone frogs and Prof Yamanaka altered genes to reprogramme cells. The Nobel committee said they had "revolutionised" science. When a sperm fertilises an egg there is just one type of cell. It multiplies and some of the resulting cells become specialised to create all the tissues of the body including nerve and bone and skin. It had been though to be a one-way process - once a cell had become specialised it could not change its fate. In 1962, John Gurdon showed that the genetic information inside a cell taken from the intestines of a frog contained all the information need to create a whole new frog. He took the genetic information and placed it inside a frog egg. The resulting clone developed into a normal tadpole. The technique would eventually give rise to Dolly the sheep, the first cloned mammal.

Shinya Yamanaka, born September 4, 1962 in Higashiosaka) is a Japanese physician and adult stem cell researcher. He serves as the director of Center for iPS Cell Research and Application and a professor at the Institute for Frontier Medical Sciences at Kyoto University, as a senior investigator at the UCSF-affiliated J. David Gladstone Institutes in San Francisco, California, and as a professor of anatomy at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Dr. Yamanaka is also the current President of the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR).

Shinya Yamanaka used a different approach on stem cell research. Rather than transferring the genetic information into an egg, he reset it. He added four genes to skin cells which transformed them into stem cells, which in turn could become specialised cells. The Nobel committee said the discovery had "revolutionized our understanding of how cells and organisms develop. "The discoveries of Gurdon and Yamanaka have shown that specialized cells can turn back the developmental clock under certain circumstances.

APPSC LIBRARIANS EXAM G.S. SOLVED PAPER (EXAM HELD ON: 05-12-2010)

APPSC Extension Officer Grade-I (Supervisor) in A.P. Women Development and Child Welfare Sub-Ordinate Service Exam Key (Exam Held On: 29-04-2012)

Key for Notification No. 36/2011 , Extension Officer Women and Child Welfare : Paper-I  600 - G.S. & M.A.


Key for Notification No. 36/2011 , Extension Officer Women and Child Welfare :Paper-2 011 - HOME SCIENCE  

Key for Notification No. 36/2011 , Extension Officer Women and Child Welfare : Paper-2 012 - SOCIAL WORK 

West Indies Wins T20 World Cup

West Indies defeated Sri Lanka by 36 runs in the ICC World Twenty20 final at the R. Premadasa Stadium here on October 7. Chasing the West Indies’ 137 for six, Sri Lanka was a nervous-wreck and finished with a measly 101. 

The diverse challenges that a small target strangely evoke, were in full force once Ravi Rampaul cleaned up Tillakaratne Dilshan’s stumps. Mahela Jayawardene (33) had the onerous task of keeping his head and anchoring the chase while his nation, including President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Marlon Samuels (78, 56b, 3x4, 6x6) waged a lone-battle while the Sri Lankan spinners buzzed around and nearly ruined Sammy’s dreams of batting big on winning the toss.  

Scores:

West Indies: 137/6

Sri Lanka : 101/10 

Man-of-the-match: Marlon Samuels.

Player-of-the-tournament: Shane Watson.

Australian eves beat England to win Women’s World T20 championship

Australian women produced an impressive performance to edge out their English counterparts by four runs in an exciting final of the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 here on October 7.

Put into bat, Australia put up a competitive 142 for four in 20 overs with almost all the batswoman getting runs.

Jess Cameron with 45 was the top scorer but openers Meg Lanning (25), Alyssa Healey (26) and Lisa Sthalekar (23 not out) all chipped in with useful contributions.

In reply England could manage 138 for nine as Australian bowlers got wickets at regular intervals.

Needing 16 of the last over, England managed only 11 runs off spinner Erin Osborne’s over. England needed an over boundary of the last delivery but could manage a single as girls in canary yellow celebrated enthusiastically.

In a big ground like Premadasa (although boundaries were shortened), chasing a target of 143 is an uphill task in women’s cricket.

Although skipper Edwards showed positive intent but once she was dismissed for 28, the other batswomen could hardly make any impact.

They did get the boundaries but couldn’t stay long enough to get a decisive result in their favour.

Players like Sarah Taylor, Aaran Brindle all got starts but couldn’t carry on as left-arm spinner Jess Jonassen turned out to be the pick of the bowlers with figures of 3 for 25.

She could have taken four had she not dropped a sharp return catch offered by Jenny Gunn.

The main wicket of Edwards was however taken by veteran Lisa Sthalekar.

While batting, Australia had two significant partnerships that clinched the issue in their favour. The opening partnership of 51 runs between Lanning and Healy and another of 51 runs in six overs between Sthalekar (23) and Cameron.

Cameron hit five fours and a six during his 34-ball knock.

Brief scores:

Australia: 142 for 4 in 20 overs (Jess Cameron 45, Alyssa Healey 26, Meg Lanning 25; Holly Colvin 2/21).

England: 138 for 9 in 20 overs (Charlotte Edwards 28; Jess Jonassen 3/25, Lisa Sthalekar 2/16).

Amjad Ali among 11 to be honored by Sangeet Natak Akademi

Sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan and danseuse Padma Subrahmanyam are among 11 eminent personalities in the field of culture who will be awarded prestigious fellowships of the Sangeet Natak Akademi by President Pranab Mukherjee on 9th October.

Besides Khan and Subrahmanyam, the highest honour of Akademi Fellowship (Akademi Ratna) will be conferred on Mukund Lath, Hariprasad Chaurasia, Shivkumar Sharma, Umayalpuram Kasiviswanatha Sivaraman, Mohan Chandrasekaran, Rajkumar Singhajit Singh, Kalamandalam Gopi, Chandrasekhar Basavanneppa Kambara and Heisnam Kanhailal.

                         

The fellowships will be awarded by Mukherjee at a function here on October nine.

They will receive purse money of Rs three lakhs, besides an angavastram and a tamrapatra.

The fellowship of the Akademi is an honour restricted to a limited number at a given time.

Presently, there are only 40 living fellows of the Sangeet Natak Akademi in the field of music, dance and theatre, a total of 26 artists will receive the Akademi Award 2011, while another eight eminent personalities will be awarded for their contribution to other traditional, folk, tribal music and puppetry.

Shrivatsa Goswami will receive the Akademi Award 2011 for Overall Contribution and Scholarship to Performing Arts.

Alakhnandan (Theatre-Direction) and Sundari Krishnalal Shridharani (Overall Contribution) were also selected for Akademi Awards 2011.

Due to their demise, the said Award will be conferred on them posthumously.

Cabinet likely to approve 12th Five Year Plan (2012-17)

The union cabinet  approve the 12th Five Year Plan (2012-17) that seeks an average annual economic growth of 8.2 percent and identifies infrastructure, health and education as thrust areas.

The growth rate has been lowered to 8.2 percent from the 9.0 percent projected earlier in view of the current slowdown in the economy and adverse international situation.

During the 11th Plan period, the average annual growth was 7.9 percent. A full Planning Commission chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh September 15 endorsed the document which has fixed the total plan size at Rs.47.7 lakh crore.

The 12th Plan seeks to achieve 4 percent agriculture sector growth during the five-year period "critical to achieve inclusive growth".

Highlights of 12th Five Year Plan (2012-17):

• Average growth target has been set at 8.2 percent
• Areas of main thrust are-infrastructure, health and education
• Growth rate has been lowered to 8.2 percent from the 9.0 percent projected earlier in view adverse domestic and global situation.
• During the 11th Plan period, the average annual growth was 7.9 percent
•  A full Planning Commission chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on September 15 endorsed the document which has fixed the total plan size at Rs.47.7 lakh crore
• The 12th Plan seeks to achieve 4 percent agriculture sector growth during the five-year period
• Agriculture in the current plan period grew at 3.3 percent, compared to 2.4 percent during the 10th plan period. The growth target for manufacturing sector has been pegged at 10 percent
• On poverty alleviation, the commission plans to bring down the poverty ratio by 10 percent. At present, the poverty is around 30 per cent of the population.
•  According to commission Deputy Chairperson Montek Singh Ahluwalia, health and education sectors are major thrust areas and the outlays for these in the plan have been raised.
• The outlay on health would include increased spending in related areas of drinking water and sanitation.
• The commission had accepted Finance Minister P. Chidambaram's suggestion that direct cash transfer of subsidies in food, fertilizers and petroleum be made by the end of the 12th Plan period
• After the cabinet clearance, the plan for its final approval would be placed before the National Development Council (NDC), which has all chief ministers and cabinet ministers as members and is headed by the Prime Minister

Agriculture

Agriculture in the current plan period has grown at 3.3 percent, compared to 2.4 percent during the 10th plan period. The growth target for manufacturing sector has been pegged at 10 percent.

Infrastructure

The document stresses the importance of infrastructure development, especially in the power sector, and removal of bottlenecks for high growth and inclusiveness. It also sets targets for various economic and social sectors relating to poverty alleviation, infant mortality, enrolment ratio and job creation.

Poverty

On poverty alleviation, the commission plans to bring down the poverty ratio by 10 percent. At present, the poverty is around 30 per cent of the population.

Health and Education

According to commission Deputy Chairperson Montek Singh Ahluwalia, health and education sectors are major thrust areas and the outlays for these in the plan have been raised.

The outlay on health would include increased spending in related areas of drinking water and sanitation.

The commission had accepted Finance Minister P. Chidambaram's suggestion that direct cash transfer of subsidies in food, fertilizers and petroleum be made by the end of the 12th Plan period.

Direct cash transfers would bring down the government's subsidy burden as the money would go directly to the "genuine" beneficiaries and "plug leakages" in the implementation of these schemes.

After the cabinet clearance, the plan for its final approval would be placed before the National Development Council (NDC), which has all chief ministers and cabinet ministers as members and is headed by the Prime Minister.

Oldest Voter, Highest Polling Booth in Himachal Pradesh

The Election Commission has identified Sh. Shyam Saran Negi as oldest voter in Himachal Pradesh (HP). Sh. Negi, aged 95, lives in Kalpa Tehsil, District Kinnaur. H.P. Sh. Negi retired from Government Primary School in 1975 and his family includes wife, four sons and five daughters.

Sh. Negi was among the first to cast his vote in independent India’s first Election in October 1951, of H.P. State Legislative Assembly from 10- Chini Assembly Constituency later renamed as Kinnaur. At that time, election in snow-bound 10- Chini (now Kinnaur) was held ahead of other places in the State.

Interestingly, the world’s highest Polling booth will also be located in H.P. at the height of 15000 ft above sea level. This Polling Station will be at Hikkam in Lahaul & Spiti Assembly Constituency located on motorable road. The Hikkam Polling Station will serve 333 voters, comprising 180 male & 153 female voters.

Minister of Water Resources Released Atlas named Aquifer System of India

Minister of water resources and parliamentary affairs Pawan Kumar Bansal on 28 September 2012 in New Delhi had released Atlas for six states namely- Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Chattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh and Meghalaya.

The atlas comprises data on various aspect of ground water since its inception that was compiled and integrated by the Central Ground Water Board. The atlas was named as Aquifer System of India.

The atlas provides a country wide overview and summary of the most important information available for each principal and major aquifer systems and depicts aquifer wise ground water scenario. It also deals with major issues and challenges which need immediate attention for sustainable management of ground water resources.

In this process, a baseline data on GIS platform was created for initiating National Aquifer Mapping Programme and demarcating priority areas for aquifer wise management of ground water resources on scientific and sustainable basis. Attempt was also made to represent the correlations of various thematic layers such as climate, topographic settings on the occurrence, movement, and chemical quality of ground water in map forms.

The Atlas is going to be of immense use for Regional and National ground water resources planning by the policy makers and anyone who needs to understand ground water scenario in the country.

India’s heaviest satellite GSAT-10 launched

GSAT-10, the country's newest and heaviest satellite, was launched September 29th from the Kourou launchpad in French Guiana in South America. It will directly boost telecommunications and direct-to-home broadcasting among others.

The satellite, 9th in ISRO's present fleet, will be operational in November and add 30 transponders to the domestic INSAT system, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said soon after the launch.

The ISRO launched the 3.4-tonne spacecraft on the European Ariane 5 rocket as the agency cannot currently launch satellites of such mass on its own vehicles. The satellite and the launch fee cost the agency Rs. 750 crore.

The ISRO called its 101st mission "a grand success," adding that the satellite was in good health.

What the satellite brings:

It carries 30 communication transponders - 12 in Ku-band, 12 in C-band and six in extended C-band. The ISRO is currently leasing 95 foreign transpondes to meet domestic demand. The INSAT/GSAT system has 168 transponders.

The Ku band is vital for seven DTH TV operators and thousands of VSAT operators who provide phone and Internet broadband connections. Public and private telephone and television providers also use the C band.

GSAT-10 also has the second GAGAN payload which augments or finetunes the US GPS signals into far more accurate readings. GAGAN, a venture of the Department of Sapce and Airports authority of India, is primarily meant to benefit airlines and their aircraft flying into and out of India. GSAT-8, launched in May 2008, carried the first GAGAN payload.

The flight at 2.58 a.m. IST was preceded by a countdown lasting for 11.5 hours. By 3.19 a.m. it was visible to scientists waiting to capture its signals at Hassan.

"MCF took over command and control of the satellite immediately after the injection. Preliminary health checks on various subsystems such as power, thermal, command, sensors, control etc., have been performed and all parameters have been found to be satisfactory. The satellite has been oriented towards Earth and the Sun using the onboard propulsion systems," the agency said.

In the coming days, MCF scientists will perform routine manoeuvres to "raise" the elliptical orbit into a circular orbit with 24-hour rotation around the Earth and fixed at 83 degrees East slot over the Indian region at 36,000 km above ground. They will do this by firing the apogee motors on board the satellite in three steps.

Later the antenna, solar panels and other instruments will be deployed and switched on.

Built for 15 years, GSAT 10 will be co-located with InSAT-4A and GSAT-12.

Junior Assistants in Andhra Pradesh Board of Intermediate Education Result List

List of Candidates picked up for Verification of Original Certificates Notification No. 51/2011,Junior Assistants in Andhra Pradesh Board of Intermediate Education

India to Host COP – 11

India is hosting the eleventh Conference of the Parties (CoP-11) to the CBD in Hyderabad on 1-19 October, 2012. There will be three components of CoP-11: the sixth Conference of the Parties serving as Meeting of the Parties (CoP/MoP-6) to the CBD’s Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to be held from 1-5 October 2012; the CoP-11 to the CBD from 8-19 October 2012; and the High Level Segment of CoP-11 from 16-19 October 2012. These meetings will be held at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC). CoP-11 is expected to be the largest such conference to be held in the country, with participation of thousands of delegates from all countries of the world, including Ministers/Vice-Ministers, Ambassadors, senior Government officials, heads and senior officers of UN and multilateral agencies, private sector, academia, civil society organizations etc. 

India is a recognised megadiverse country rich in biodiversity and associated traditional knowledge. With just 2.4% of the land area, India accounts for nearly 7% of the recorded species even while supporting almost 18% of human population as well as cattle population. The biotic pressure on our biodiversity is therefore immense. 

For India, conservation of its biodiversity is crucial not only because it provides several goods and services necessary for human survival, but also because it is directly linked with providing livelihoods to and improving socio-economic conditions of millions of our local people, thereby contributing to sustainable development and poverty alleviation. 

India is a Party to the CBD. The three objectives of the Convention are: conservation of biodiversity, sustainable use of its components, and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of genetic resources. CBD is the first comprehensive global agreement addressing all aspects relating to biodiversity. It is a framework agreement that provides for flexible country-driven approach to its implementation. The Convention has near universal membership with 193 Parties. USA is the only major country which is not a Party to the CBD. 

India ranked 111th in economic freedom list

India ranks very low at 111th position in terms of economic freedom, behind countries like China, Nepal and Bangladesh, a global study has claimed in a worldwide index of 144 nations.

The annual ranking, titled 'Economic Freedom of the World: 2012', is topped by Hong Kong, followed by Singapore, New Zealand, Switzerland (8.24) and Australia in the top-five.

The index has been prepared by Canada-based public policy think-tank, Fraser Institute, in cooperation with independent institutes in 90 nations and territories, and claims to measure the degree to which the policies and institutions of countries support economic freedom.

India's ranking has fallen from 103rd last year, while Hong Kong has retained its top slot, the report said.

Canada is ranked sixth on the list, while others in the top-ten include Bahrain, Mauritius, Finland and Chile. The countries with lowest level of economic freedom are -- Myanmar, Zimbabwe, Republic of Congo and Angola.

India shares its 111th position with two other countries, Iran and Pakistan, while those ranked lower include Guyana, Syria and Nigeria.

India has scored an overall rating of 6.26 in the economic freedom index as against an average global scrore of 6.83.

In the economic freedom index, China is at 107th position with a score of 6.35, Bangladesh at 109th with a score of 6.34 and Nepal is at 110th position (6.33).

The report said that Hong Kong offers the highest level of economic freedom worldwide, with a score of 8.90 out of 10, followed by Singapore (8.69), New Zealand (8.36), Switzerland (8.24), Australia and Canada (each 7.97), Bahrain (7.94), Mauritius (7.90), Finland (7.88) and Chile (7.84).

"Governments around the world embraced heavy-handed regulation and extensive spending in response to the US and European debt crises, reducing economic freedom in the short term and prosperity over the long term," the report noted.

"But the slight increase in this year's worldwide economic freedom score is encouraging. Impressively, all five continents are represented in the global top 10," it added.

The report noted that on an average, the poorest 10 per cent of people in the freest nations are nearly twice as rich as the average population of the least free countries.

Interestingly, the US, which is considered a champion of economic freedom among large industrial nations, continues its protracted decline in the global rankings. This year, the US plunged to its lowest-ever ranking of 18th, after being ranked at as high as second position in 2002.

The decline is attributed to higher spending and borrowing on the part of the US government.

The rankings and scores of other major economies include -Japan (20th), Germany (31st), Korea (37th), France (47th), Italy (83rd), Mexico (91st), Russia (95th) and Brazil (105th).

APPSC REVISED VACANCY POSITIONFOR THE POST OF JUNIOR ASSISTANT IN A.P. BOARD OF INTERMEDIATE EDUCATION NOTIFICATION NO. 51/2011

Revised Vacancy Positions-Noti.No 51/2011 Jr.Assistants in A.P. Board of Intermediate Education

FDI in multi-brand retail and aviation

India opened its retail, aviation, broadcasting and power sectors to foreign supermarkets on September 14, a major economic reform that has been stalled for months by political gridlock and came as part of a package of measures aimed at reviving growth.
Foreign direct investment (FDI) in India's largely unorganised retail sector will help curb inflationary pressure by easing supply side constraints and revive economic growth, analysts said.
However, some experts have the opinion that it could hamper firms hoping to set up shop in the world's second-most populous country.

key aspects of the policy:
States to decide on implementation
Individual state governments will decide whether to allow foreign supermarket chains to enter. The Congress party-led government hopes this will take the sting out of opposition from regional parties who say the policy will destroy jobs.
Opponents of the reform include Mamata Banerjee, the chief minister of West Bengal and the most powerful ally in Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government.
FOR: Delhi, Assam, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Manipur, Daman & Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli are in support of the UPA government’s move.
AGAINST:  Bihar, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Tripura and Odisha have formally stated their opposition.
Sourcing from small companies
Foreign retailers will have to source almost a third of their manufactured and processed goods from industries with a total plant and machinery investment of less than USD 1 million. Supermarket chains will certify compliance with this themselves.
The government will reserve the first right to procure food produce from farmers before companies do, in order to provide stocks for its food subsidy schemes for poor households.
Minimum investments
Foreign retailers will have to invest a minimum of USD 100 million, and put at least half of their total investment into so-called 'back-end' infrastructure, such as warehousing and cold storage facilities.
This requirement has to be met within three years of a retailer setting up shop.
The aim is to meet one of the key justifications for opening the supermarket sector to foreign players -- revamping the country's crumbling infrastructure and unclogging bottlenecks.
The bottlenecks fan inflation, which has proved a major headache for the government and the Reserve Bank of India.
Policymakers argue opening the sector will help ease prices for a country where hundreds of millions live in dire poverty.
Big cities
Foreign retailers will only be allowed to set up shop in cities with a population of more than 1 million. In states where there are no cities with such a big population, individual state governments can choose where to allow foreign chains to open.
Critics of the new retail policy, including from opposition parties and domestic traders, say opening the doors to the likes of Wal-Mart will wipe out the country's small, family-run neighbourhood stores and trigger mass unemployment.
By restricting foreign firms to cities, the government hopes the supermarkets will become accessible to the country's swelling middle class, while protecting the livelihoods of shopkeepers in smaller towns and rural areas.

Indian Economy: FACTBOX
According to the latest Central Statistical Organisation (CSO) data, the Indian economy grew at a sluggish 5.5 percent in the April-June 2012 period as compared to 8 percent in the corresponding quarter of the previous year.
The GDP growth had slumped to a nine-year low of 5.3 percent in the quarter ended March.
The decision to push forward the reform process has come at a time when business sentiments have taken a beating, GDP growth is near decade low, inflation remained stubbornly high and the government was criticised for "policy paralysis".
India an ideal FDI destination
A recent UNCTAD survey projected India as the second most important FDI destination (after China) for transnational corporations during 2010–2012. India has seen an eightfold increase in its FDI in March 2012.
As per the data, the sectors which attracted higher inflows were services, telecommunication, construction activities and computer software and hardware.
Mauritius, Singapore, US and UK were among the leading sources of FDI for India.
According to Ernst and Young, foreign direct investment in India in 2010 was USD 44.8 billion, and in 2011 experienced an increase of 13 percent to USD 50.8 billion.


FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT IN INDIA

• 51 percent FDI in multi-brand retail

• 49 percent FDI in civil aviation 

• FDI cap in broadcasting raised from 49 percent to 74 percent

• Sale of equities in four PSUs including Hindustan Copper Ltd (9.59 percent), Nalco (12.15 percent), Oil India Ltd (10 percent) and MMTC (9 percent) 

• Foreign investment in power exchanges

• Delhi, Assam, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Manipur, Daman & Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli are in support of the UPA government’s move

• Bihar, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Tripura and Odisha have formally stated their opposition