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One “new” language found, another has died out

October 6, 2010

BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11479563

Researchers have identified a language new to science in a remote region of India. Known as Koro, it appears to be distinct from other languages in the family to which it belongs; but it is also under threat.

Koro was discovered by a team of linguists on an expedition to Arunachal Pradesh, in north-eastern India. The team was part of National Geographic’s “Enduring Voices” project onthreatened indigenous languages. The researchers were searching for two other little-known languages spoken only in one small area. As they heard and recorded these, they found a third which was completely new to them and had never before been listed. “We didn’t have to get far on our word list to realise it was extremely different in every possible way,” said Dr David Harrison, one of the expedition leaders.

The linguists recorded thousands of words- and found Koro was distinct from other languages in the area.

But in February this year, the language “Bo” died out on the Andaman Islands.

Map

Andaman Islands

The last speaker of an ancient language in India’s Andaman Islands has died at the age of about 85, a leading linguist has told the BBC. The death of the woman, Boa Senior, was highly significant because one of the world’s oldest languages, Bo, had come to an end, Professor Anvita Abbi said. Languages in the Andamans are thought to originate from Africa. Some may be up to 70,000 years old. The islands are often called an “anthropologist’s dream” and are one of the most linguistically diverse areas of the world. Professor Abbi – who runs the Vanishing Voices of the Great Andamanese (Voga) website – explained: “After the death of her parents, Boa was the last Bo speaker for 30 to 40 years.

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Biotechnology Advances retracts 3 papers from India for plagiarism

October 5, 2010

Biotechnology Advances

 

 

Update 3: 7th August 2011 Kalasalingam University sacks Sangiliyandi Gurunathan

Update 2: 27th June 2011: Yet another

Sangiliyandi retraction  h/t JV Prasath


Update:

Links to the retraction notices have been added – 31st January 2011 and the links have been updated 22nd February 2011.

Biotechnology Advances has retracted 3 papers from India (2 from IIT Kanpur and1 from Kalasalingam University), all at the request of the editors and all for plagiarism.

A matter of some shame for Indian science and especially for the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur. It remains to be seen if the Institutions take any action. The plagiarism seems to have been particularly inept since it included blatant copying even from Wikipedia and Encyclopedias.

The 3 retraction notices are given below:

1. Retraction notice to “Microbial production of dihydroxyacetone” [Biotech Adv. 26 (2008) 293–303] by Ruchi Mishra, Seema Rani Jain and Ashok Kumar

Department of Biological Sciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, 208016-Kanpur, India

Available online 22 August 2010.

Retraction Notice

Reason: This article has been retracted at the request of the editor as the authors have plagiarised part of several papers that had already appeared in several journals. One of the conditions of submission of a paper for publication is that authors declare explicitly that their work is original and has not appeared in a publication elsewhere. Re-use of any data should be appropriately cited. As such this article represents a severe abuse of the scientific publishing system. The scientific community takes a very strong view on this matter and we apologise to the readers of the journal that this was not detected during the submission process.

From a limited, non-exhaustive check of the text, several elements of the text had been plagiarised from the following list of sources:

(more…)

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Posted in Biotechnology, Ethics, India, Science, Scientific Fraud | 24 Comments »

Commonwealth Games open in spectacular fashion!

October 3, 2010

So far, so good!!

Reuters: The 19th Commonwealth Games were declared open on Sunday in a spectacular opening ceremony which might repair some of the damage to India’s image after a calamitous buildup to the sporting festival.

Opening Ceremony for the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games

But my fingers are still crossed.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald: But the Australian swimmers were too scared to take part (or they just wanted to make sure of their medals on Monday)

commonwealth games opening ceremony

CWG 2010 Opening Ceremony

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Airbus engineering to grow in India

October 3, 2010
Airbus A320 (9M-AFA) der Air Asia

Airbus A 320: Wikipedia

The Telegraph:

Airbus expects India to need around 1,000 new planes over the next 20 years, compared with 3,000 in China. Air traffic has expanded by 16pc in India this year.

Airbus, which has 68 per cent Indian market share, as measured by orders, believes it can build on its current success by selling more aircraft. The European plane maker is also building relationships on the ground. It has 25 partners in India, eight of them top-tier suppliers. Airbus is also leaning more and more on Indian engineers.

The company will decide this week whether to go ahead with its next development programme, a new engine for the single-aisle A320 plane that generates much of Airbus’s profit. “Airbus has never made a secret that our engineering resources are stretched thin,” Mr Enders said during a two-day visit to Airbus’s Indian operations in Bangalore last week. “We’re taking this decision very seriously because we cannot afford that other programmes, especially the 350, should suffer.”

At its base in Bangalore, Airbus has 160 engineers working on the A350 and A380 programmes in conjunction with staff in France, Germany and Britain. The company plans to have 200 staff at the engineering centre by the end of the year and 400 by 2013. India produces around 350,000 engineering graduates a year, about 25pc of which Airbus describes as “employable”. “I don’t think 400 is going to be the final number, there is a huge pool of talent we can tap into,” said Mr Enders. “In terms of the work we sub-contract, there’s a lot more to come.”

In the past, most of the work done for Airbus by external suppliers has been making parts of the airframe, and while some manufacturing work is now being done in India, it is the engineering and technology base that is more attractive, Mr Enders said. “IT, simulations, technical publication – all these are things which India is particularly good at,” he said.

It makes sense and is inevitable that more will shift to India and China – where the market is.

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Commonwealth Games and the “last minute fix”

October 2, 2010

CWG 2010 New Delhi

The adjectives being used a week ago were a public relations disaster for India:

“filthy, unlivable, uninhabitable, unhygenic, rampant corruption, chaotic, unfinished, disease-prone, dengue, terrorism risk …”

Even allowing for the fact that all projects in India believe implicitly in the “last minute fix”, the situation was desperate. Athletes were pulling out, some countries were considering pulling out of the games entirely, politicians and administrators were busy positioning themselves, pointing fingers at others and all denying any personal involvement in the corruption. The Australian  national pastime of India-bashing was having a field day.

The view today – just one day away from the opening of the Games – is slightly more optimistic. Athletes are living in the Games village and are finding it quite good if not salubrious- Australian athletes included (though many of the “softer” and less adventurous athletes from the UK have opted for 5-star hotels).

Sydney Morning Herald: Australian athletes have hit the Twittersphere to give the thumbs up to their accommodation and security in New Delhi ahead of the Commonwealth Games.

Toronto Star: New Delhi ready for Commonwealth Games, athletes say

A major fiasco is less likely than a week ago but this is India where everything is possible and anything can be impossible.

IG Stadium

More than 5,800 athletes and officials have already arrived in Delhi. With more arrivals scheduled in the coming days, to reach 6,700, Delhi 2010 is well on the way to becoming the biggest in history. The 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games saw the participation of 5,766 athletes and officials. The adjectives being used have changed to be “comfortable, satisfactory, acceptable…..”

My fingers are crossed and hope it is a great games  for all.

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Posted in India, Sport | 1 Comment »

Indian fiasco likely at the Commonwealth Games

September 23, 2010

The mess that is the organisation and preparation of the Commonwealth Games to be held in Delhi is going from bad to worse. Every day there are new instances of rampant corruption, new examples of the venal attitude of all the organising committee and the surrounding politicians, collapsing architecture, cases of child labour, withdrawal of athletes and maybe even countries, security fears, uninhabitable and unhygienic athletes accommodation, traffic chaos and now even potential flooding after a prolonged and vigorous monsoon.

India is known for the “last minute” fix but is also known for  the “last mile syndrome” where the final 5% never gets completed. The organising committee and the Delhi politicians are busy pointing fingers and the Central Gov’t has been forced to step in.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has stepped in to clear the Commonwealth Games mess. Singh has called Union Sports Minister MS Gill and Union Urban Development Minister Jaipal Reddy for urgent consultations.

A view of the 2010 Commonwealth Games Village in New Delhi. Certain players have asked for a different accodomation as they found the Village 'unliveable.'

2010 Commonwealth Games Village:players have asked for a different accodomation as they found the Village 'unliveable.'

On a day of embarrassment for Delhi and with 11 days to go for the Commonwealth Games, the incomplete and “filthy” Games Village came in for severe criticism from foreign delegates and the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF).

The finger pointing and posturing is getting ugly. Meanwhile, Congress MP and former Union sports minister Mani Shankar Aiyar has slammed the Commonwealth Games Federation top bosses – Mike Fennell and Mike Hooper – saying they have no right to criticise the Games.

This threatens to be a national embarrassment.

I live in hope but whether something can be salvaged from this fiasco remains to be seen.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/events-tournaments/commonwealth-games/top-stories/CWG-mess-PM-steps-in-calls-Gill-Reddy-for-meeting/articleshow/6612183.cms

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Tata Nano +: Tata Motors riding high

September 19, 2010

Tata Nano +

Tata Motors is to woo Indian small car budget customers by launching an upgraded version of its Nano, the new Tata Nano Plus sometime in 2011. Tata Motors plans a Nano Plus with upgraded features. The Nano+ for the Indian market is expected to be similar to the Nano Europa.

Tata Nano was launched to woo the Indian automobile customers with its Rs. 1 lac (2200$) price tag but has failed to live upto the initial hype because of technical problems and issues of delayed delivery. The new Tata Nano + will include a more powerful 1000 cc engine instead of the older 623 cc engine. It will also include ABS, alloy wheels, integrated music systems and improved interiors. The car will be on the lines of Nano Europa and will compete with Maruti Alto and Chevrolet Spark. Delivery of the car  should not be a problem as the new Sanand plant increases production.

Tata Motors’ global vehicles sales rose 29% to 85,411 units in August 2010 over August 2009. The global sales include figures of its British luxury unit Jaguar Land Rover, whose sales rose 29% to 16,220 units in August 2010 over August 2009.

Tata CNG hybrid bus

Tata CNG hybrid bus

Tata Motors are also bringing out India’s first CNG-Electric hybrid public transport bus. It can accommodate 32 people, uses a parallel hybrid system and has a top speed of 72 kph.

Tata Motors has reported a growth of 29 percent in August. The entire sales of Tata’s vehicles totaled to 85,114 units in August 2010, a growth of 29 percent over August 2009. This has taken the cumulative sales for the fiscal year (April 2010 – August 2010) to 424,938, higher by 42 percent compared to the corresponding period in 2009-10. Sales of all commercial vehicles were 40,882 last month, a growth of 25 percent, taking the cumulative sales to 192,612, a growth of 35 percent.

2009 Jaguar XF photographed at the 2008 Washin...

Jaguar XF

Sales of all passenger vehicles were 44,232 in the month, a growth of 33 percent and the corresponding cumulative sales are 232,326, a growth of 49 percent. Tata passenger vehicle sales, including those distributed, were 28,012 for the month, a growth of 35 percent with a cumulative increase of 50 percent. Jaguar Land Rover global sales in August 2010 were 16,220 vehicles, higher by 29 percent. Jaguar sales for August 2010 were 3,788, higher by 33 percent, while Land Rover sales were 12,432, higher by 28 percent. Cumulative sales of Jaguar Land Rover for the fiscal are 92,759, higher by 46 percent. Cumulative sales of Jaguar are 24,919, higher by 31 percent, while cumulative sales of Land Rover are 67,840, higher by 52 percent.

Tata Motors is planning to launch new models with its Venture MPV and Aria Crossover in the near future.

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Indian superbug now in 14 countries

September 14, 2010

The widespread and indiscriminate use of antibiotics in India has probably helped in making the superbug NDM1 (New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase-1) resistant to virtually every known antibiotic. The defensive attitude taken by the medical profession in India when the Lancet report was first published is less apparent now and the Government has been forced to address the issue of the use of antibiotics.

image:jetlib.com

Three cases have been found in the US. Three people returned to the US from India earlier this year infected with the newly described “superbugs” that are highly resistant to antibiotics, according to media reports. All three confirmed cases – one each in California, Illinois and Massachusetts – involved people who got medical care in India. The Illinois patient recovered, and there is no evidence the infection was transmitted to other people. Another person was treated at Massachusetts General Hospital and isolated, a measure that prevented the germ from spreading, said David Hooper, chief of the hospital’s infection control unit, the Boston Herald said. The Massachusetts patient too survived. The daily said the superbug seems to have been contained. All three patients developed urinary tract infections that carried a genetic feature that made their cases harder to treat.

Taiwan on Thursday decided to declare it a category-four communicable disease. According to Taiwan’s Centre for Disease Control, NDM-1 has the potential to become a serious public health problem as the superbug is extremely virulent and resistant to almost all antibiotics, even the most powerful ones.

Sify comments that:

The Government of India has constituted a committee to formulate a policy for the rational use of antibiotics. The 13-member task force, chaired by the Director-General of Health Services, is expected to submit a report within two months.

The task ahead is Herculean, because it requires a change of culture both on the part of doctors and patients. In a country where a significant portion of the people cannot afford most useful medicines, doctors routinely over-prescribe antibiotics to those who consult them. What is worse, patients are often dissatisfied with a doctor who may advise that, say, a viral infection should be roughed out if it does not get serious and not be pointlessly treated with antibiotics. This is, of course, just a little better than in China where many patients are not satisfied unless a doctor prescribes an injectable. Poor and uninformed patients in India also routinely use an older prescription to treat a new ailment whose symptoms appear similar, and then do not complete a course once undertaken. Further, although antibiotics are to be sold only against prescriptions, chemists routinely sell them over the counter, acting as makeshift doctors in response to patients’ narration of symptoms and request for some tablets.

It is also necessary to examine what can be done to counter the depredations (there is no other word for it) of drug companies and their armies of medical representatives at whose request most doctors do their prescribing. The best long-term weapon is right public awareness on these issues. Civil society has a larger role to play in this regard than government.

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Can growth in India and China prevent the double-dip?

September 13, 2010

Chinese factories increased production in August and money growth easily topped analysts’ expectations, according to data on Saturday, showing that the economy remained buoyant despite government efforts to clamp down on bank lending and property speculation. Inflation in China sped to its fastest pace in 22 months, though the bulk of price rises stemmed from higher food costs, which analysts have said should be transitory after a spell of bad weather this summer.

image: buyusa.gov

Indian shares have risen to their highest level in more than two and a half years after data showed industrial output rose faster than expected. Figures released after Friday’s market close showed July’s factory output was up 13.8% compared with a year ago. India’s benchmark Sensex index rose 322 points, or 1.7%, to 19,122, its highest since January 2008. Banks led the gains as investors expect demand for loans to rise on the back of an expanding economy. Shares in State Bank of India, the country’s largest lender, were up 4.3%. ICICI Bank shares rose 3.5%, while HDFC Bank was 1.1% higher.

With a good monsoon this year inflation in food prices in India should now reduce sharply and if industry and manufacturing maintain their spurt, a total 10%+  GDP growth for 2010 -11 becomes probable.

Most Asian stocks too gained momentum on Monday. At 11.20 am today, the Sensex was trading up 293.53 points or 1.56% at 19,093.19, while Nifty was trading higher by 85.90 points or 1.52% at 5,725.95.

Europe and the US will continue to experience a prolonged period of low or choppy economic growth but this will have little impact on the growing domestic consumption of China and India. Companies selling into these nations are experiencing buoyant trading conditions.

This should be sufficient to mitigate the risks of a prolonged double-dip recession in Europe and the US  but will not be enough to avoid it.

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Indian monsoon has been “good”: 10%+ growth possible

September 12, 2010

The Indian monsoon season officially lasts from June to September. When average rainfall over these 4 months is close to or slightly above the long term average ( from about -5% to about +10%), the monsoon can be termed to be “good”.

With 3 weeks to go rainfall is running at 1% above the long term average and has been reasonably uniform over the whole country.

http://www.imd.gov.in/section/nhac/dynamic/Monsoon_frame.htm

Despite a steady decline in the share of agriculture and allied activities in GDP to about 14.6 percent, it continues to be the mainstay of majority of the population, of about 52 percent of the work force, and remains critical from the point of view of achieving the objectives of food security and price stability.

In 2009-10, there was a poor monsoon with rainfall being about 22% less than the long term average. Consequently the Agricultural growth rate was less than 2% (1.86%). The total GDP growth was held back to around 6%. The difference between a good monsoon year and a poor year is thought to be around 2% points for GDP:

For this year the pre-monsoon forecast was for 98% rainfall but with the La Niña conditions now prevailing, this has increased. Currently Agricultural growth (April – June  2010) is at 2.78% and the “good” monsoon is likely to see this increase sharply through the rest of the year.

Currently GDP is running at over 9% with industry and manufacturing each showing growth rates of close to 12%.

Inflation in food prices should now reduce sharply and if industry and manufacturing maintain their spurt, a total 10%+  GDP growth for 2010 -11 becomes probable.

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Posted in Business, Economy, India | 2 Comments »

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