Polymers™

M anipal university professor is part of the team that made this discovery. The burgeoning periodic table will see four more isotopes being added to its fag end. H. M. Devaraja from the Manipal Centre of Natural Sciences at Manipal University, Karnataka — who was a part of an international collaboration — has, in a paper published in the journal  Physics Letters B,   claimed to have discovered four new atomic nuclei.  These are one isotope each of the heavy elements berkelium (Bk, atomic number 97) and neptunium (Np, 93) and two isotopes of the element americium (Am, 95).  The researchers observed the deep inelastic multinucleon transfer reactions of Calcium 48, and Curium 248. The multinucleon reactions occur in collision of two complex nuclei. The resulting reaction sees intense dissipation of energy as well as mass distributions of the products of which neutron rich and neutron deficient products are of interest to physicists. Current technique...

FRANKFURT/New Delhi: The  Volkswagen pollution cheating scandal  escalated dramatically on Tuesday when the automaker revealed that 11 million cars worldwide could be affected, wiping a third off the company's market value and threatening to topple its chief executive.  The US has opened a criminal investigation into Volkswagen, a source close to the probe told AFP. And authorities from France to South Korea also said they would investigate, prompting Volkswagen to announce that it was setting aside 6.5 billion euros ($7.3 billion) in provisions for the third quarter to cover the potential costs of the scandal.  In India, however, authorities said they were watching the developments but have not ordered an investigation so far. "We are finding out if the models sold in the US are also on sale here," said an official, adding that the mechanism followed in India was different. In the US, companies follow a system of self-certification, while in India after a type ...

Researchers have developed a four-dimensional printing technology that allows creation of complex self-folding structures. The researchers used smart shape memory polymers (SMPs) with the ability to remember one shape and change to another programmed shape when uniform heat is applied. The technology can have a broad range of applications. For example, an unmanned air vehicle might change shape from one designed for a cruise mission to one designed for a dive. The technology, developed by researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology in the US and the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), could be used to create  3D  structures that sequentially fold themselves from components that had been flat or rolled into a tube for shipment. The components could respond to stimuli such as temperature, moisture or light in a way that is precisely timed to create space structures, deployable medical devices,  robots , toys and a range of other structures...

India and the United States have signed a significant MoU on energy security, climate change and clean energy which Secretary of State John Kerry said reflects the commitment of the two countries to make the Paris summit later this year a success. “We have concluded a very significant Memorandum of Understanding on energy security, climate change, and clean energy,” Kerry said at a joint news conference with his Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj, US Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker and Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. India’s commitment to reach 175 gigawatts of renewable energy by 2022 is the world’s most ambitious target in the area of renewables, Kerry said referring to the goal set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. American companies and research institutions are committed to help India achieve that goal, he said. “We’re also launching a Fulbright Climate Fellowship programme to facilitate the exchange of key research information,” he said. Kerry said both India and...

Pakistan's recent utterances and tendency to use pinpricks to try our patience appear reminiscent of 1965. We are a strong nation, emerging stronger,' says Lieutenant General Syed Ata Hasnain (retd). A s we come closer to the end of the 22-day period of September which marks the 50th anniversary of the India-Pakistan Conflict of 1965, it can be said that the nation has been fairly well educated about how and why the conflict (hereafter called war) was fought. The exhibition currently on at India Gate showcases some of the heroics of those who fought so well despite being ill equipped and achieved honour for their regiments, army and the nation. What has, however, been insufficiently covered from an information angle is some of the lessons and analytical aspects beyond the usual cliched explanation of the army and air force about being poorly equipped. The war has been largely ignored by history because within six years after 1965 followed a spectacular strategic trium...

Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the US, the cabinet committee on security on Tuesday cleared a multi-billion dollar deal for 22 Apache attack helicopters and 15 Chinook heavy-lift choppers with American aviation giant Boeing. CH-53E and Chinook helicopters with US Marines take off from an airbase. Photograph: Omar Sobhani/ Reuters "The deal for Apache and Chinook (helicopters) has been cleared," government sources said. The CCS met after a Cabinet meeting, they said. Many in the defence sector had expected the deal, valued to be over USD 2.5 billion (around Rs 164 crore) and pending since 2013 following finalisation of cost negotiations, to be signed during the visit of US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter in June this year. The deal for Apache is "a hybrid one", with one contract to be signed with Boeing for the helicopter and the other with the US government for its weapons, radars and electronic warfare suites. An Apache heli...

One of the most problem is water scarcity.Among the world India ranks 2nd in population. Regarding this issue the government should take several remedies such as river water integration. Only 9%of water is available for people who those live in India What about our future generation?