Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI), Lucknow
28-Jun-2023: Cabinet approves Ratification of the Headquarters Agreement (HQA) between India and Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI)
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, today has given its approval for ratification of the Headquarters Agreement (HQA) between Government of India (Gol) and Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) signed on 22nd August, 2022.
The CDRI was launched by the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India during the United Nations Climate Action Summit on the 23’d September, 2019, at New York. It is a major global initiative launched by the Government of India and is seen as India's attempts to obtain a global leadership role in climate change and disaster resilience matters.
Joha rice
23-Jun-2023: Joha rice -- the Nutraceutical of choice in diabetes management
Joha rice, aromatic rice cultivated in the Northeastern region of India is effective in lowering the blood glucose and preventing diabetes onset and hence is an effective nutraceutical of choice in diabetes management.
Joha is a short-grain winter paddy known for its significant aroma and noteworthy taste. The traditional claims are that the consumers of Joha rice have low incidence of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, but these needed scientific validation.
Towards that direction, scientists at the Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology (IASST), an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology explored the nutraceutical properties of aromatic Joha rice. Rajlakshmi Devi along with Paramita Choudhury in their research explored the nutraceutical properties of aromatic Joha rice. Through in vitro laboratory analysis, they detected two unsaturated fatty acids viz., linoleic acid (omega-6) and linolenic (omega-3) acid. These essential fatty acids (which human cannot produce) can help maintain various physiological conditions. Omega-3 fatty acid prevents several metabolic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer. Joha has also proved to be effective in lowering the blood glucose and preventing diabetes onset in diabetic rats.
The researchers also found that scented Joha rice has a more balanced ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 in comparison to the widely consumed non-scented variety. The ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 essential fatty acids (EFA) of required by human beings for maintaining the proper diet is around one. They have used this Joha rice to make rice bran oil, a patented product that they claim to be effective in diabetes management.
Besides, Joha rice is also rich in several antioxidants, flavonoids, and phenolics. Some of the reported bioactive compounds are oryzanol, ferulic acid, tocotrienol, caffeic acid, catechuic acid, gallic acid, tricin, and so on, each with reported antioxidant, hypoglycaemic and cardio-protective effects.
High Frequency (HF) radio communications
16-Jun-2023: New model for improving high-frequency radio communications, crucial during natural disasters
A new model for radio wave propagation through the ionosphere developed by scientists can help estimate the impact of space weather and facilitate the planning and operation of High Frequency (HF) radio communications, a vital means of communication during the situations like natural disasters, and mid-ocean surveillance.
The ionosphere is a region of Earth’s upper atmosphere ranging from about 100 - 1000 km and acts as a gateway for radio communication between the ground and space. Radio waves of certain frequencies (HF band) are reflected back to the ground by the ionosphere which facilitates long-distance HF communications beyond the horizon, known as Skywave communications. Despite the increasing use of satellite communications, traditional long-distance high-frequency (HF) radio communication, remains a vital means of communication during the situations like natural disasters, mid-ocean surveillance, over-the-horizon target detection, and so on. Severe ionospheric disturbances that arise due to a range of space weather events like Solar flares, Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs), and Geomagnetic storms significantly affect Skywave communications. This variability of ionosphere due to disturbances in space weather can significantly limit the usage of Skywave communications.