A real estate investment trust (REIT) is a company that owns, and in most cases, operates income-producing real estate. REITs own commercial real estate. Some REITs also engage in financing real estate. The REITs are similar to mutual funds. REITs can be publicly or privately held. Public REITs may be listed on public stock exchanges. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) recently announced guidelines for the creation of real estate investment trusts (REITs) in India. REITs are expected to be operational in 2015. Essentially, REITs will pool money from investors and invest them in income-generating real estate offering them a way t... Read More...
Autoimmune diseases arise from an abnormal immune response of the body against substances and tissues normally present in the body (autoimmunity). This may be restricted to certain organs or involve a particular tissue in different places. A large number of autoimmune diseases are recognized. It has been estimated that autoimmune diseases are among the top ten leading causes of death among women in all age groups up to 65 years. A substantial minority of the population suffers from these diseases, which are often chronic, debilitating, and life-threatening. There are more than 80 illnesses caused by autoimmunity. ... Read More...
One such technology is the magnetic catapult- makes it possible for larger planes to take off from smaller ships. The Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) is a system under development by the United States Navy. The main advantage is that this system allows for a more graded acceleration, inducing less stress on the aircraft's airframe. Other advantages include lower system weight, lower cost, and decreased maintenance requirements. It also will provide the ability to launch aircraft that are both heavier or lighter than the conventional system can accommodate. In addition the system has limited requirements for fresh water, reducing the need f... Read More...
Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) introduced a new star rating methodology called Indian Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (ISEER) for air conditioners. This evolved rating methodology factors in variance in higher temperature in India and rates air conditioners accordingly. Consumers can now purchase air conditioners with higher efficiency leading to lower electricity bills. Keeping the performance of air conditioners during higher temperature in mind, ISEER will address the different climatic zones in India and higher temperature. ISEER measures energy efficiency of air conditioners based on a weighted average of the performance at outside tempera... Read More...
Microgrid is a small standalone system connected to solar panels which can supply power to about 100 households. In this model, a customer registers with the microgrid owner with a monthly subscription, and the service provider provides him solar power for two lights, a fan and cell phone charging socket. A customer would spend Rs 100. It is cheaper than kerosene and has been growing rapidly. A microgrid costs under Rs 60,000 to set up and the project costs get recovered in three years -- including maintenance, upgrades and other overheads. Households save money each month which helps ensure payments. These micro-economics are sou... Read More...
Adam's Bridge also known as Rama's Bridge or Rama Setu is a chain of limestone shoals, between Pamban Island, also known as Rameswaram Island, off the southeastern coast of Tamil Nadu, India, and Mannar Island, off the northwestern coast of Sri Lanka. Geological evidence suggests that this bridge is a former land connection between India and Sri Lanka. The bridge is 18 miles (30 km) long and separates the Gulf of Mannar (southwest) from the Palk Strait (northeast). Some of the sandbanks are dry and the sea in the area is very shallow, being only 3 ft to 30 ft (1 m to 10 m) deep in places, which hinders navigation. Hindu be... Read More...
Abu Abdallah Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi, earlier transliterated as Algoritmi (780 – 850) was a Persian mathematician, astronomer and geographer during the Abbasid Caliphate, a scholar in the House of Wisdom in Baghdad. In the twelfth century, Latin translations of his work on the Indian numerals introduced the decimal positional number system to the Western world. His Compendious Book on Calculation by Completion and Balancing presented the first systematic solution of linear and quadratic equations in Arabic. In Renaissance Europe, he was considered the original inventor of algebra, although it is now known that his work is ba... Read More...
Reproductive rights are legal rights and freedoms relating to reproduction. Reproductive rights may include some or all of the following: a. the right to legal and safe abortion b. the right to birth control c. freedom from coerced sterilization and contraception d. the right to access good-quality reproductive healthcare e. the right to education and access in order to make free and informed reproductive choices Reproductive rights may also include the right to receive education about sexually transmitted infections. Women in India enjoy these rights but practically the limitations... Read More...
It inhabits the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna and Karnaphuli-Sangu river systems of Nepal, India, and Bangladesh. This vast area has been altered by the construction of more than 50 dams and other irrigation-related projects, with dire consequences for the river dolphins. The Ganges River dolphin lives in one of the world's most densely populated areas, and is threatened by removal of river water and siltation arising from deforestation, pollution and entanglement in fisheries nets. In addition, alterations to the river due to barrages are also separating populations. Total population of the Ganga river dolphin is estimated to be between... Read More...
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) ISRO is the space agency of the Indian government headquartered in Bangalore. Its vision is to "harness space technology for national development, while pursuing space science research and planetary exploration".It is managed by the Department of Space, which reports to the Prime Minister of India. Antrix Corporation Limited Antrix Corporation Limited is the commercial arm of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).Its objective is to promote the ISRO's products, services and technologies. It is a Public... Read More...
Competence of teachers and their motivation is crucial for improving the quality. Several initiatives are being taken for addressing teacher shortages, shortages of secondary school teachers in mathematics, science and languages, improving the quality of pre-service teachers and in-service teachers professional development, enhancing the status of teaching as a profession, improving teachers’ motivation and their accountability for ensuring learning outcomes, and improving the quality of teacher educators. Focus is on using technology to have teachers trained by the best educators through the internet. There is also a proposal to introduce institutions... Read More...
The dark web is the World Wide Web content that exists on darknets, overlay networks which use the public Internet but which require specific software, configurations or authorization to access. The dark web forms a small part of the deep web, the part of the Web not indexed by search engines. The darknets which constitute the dark web include small, friend-to-friend peer-to-peer networks, as well as large, popular networks like Tor, operated by public organizations and individuals. Users of the dark web refer to the regular web as the Clearnet due to its unencrypted nature. The Tor dark web may be referred to as onionland, a reference t... Read More...
In the modern scenario, non-communicable disease forms the bulk of what is ailing the population, mostly those residing in the cities. Increasingly sedentary lifestyles, growth in the aging population, surfeit of high calorie food, pollution, and addictions such as smoking and drinking has given rise to lifestyle diseases. This includes diabetes, chronic lung ailments, hypertension, cancer, and cardiac troubles. Many of these problems if left unmonitored for long can prove to be fatal. The premature mortality and morbidity during the most productive of life phase poses serious challenges to the Indian economy and hence the need for preventive healthcare meas... Read More...
Throughout recorded history there have been two sources of humanism: Firstly from people who have believed that the universe is a natural phenomenon with no supernatural side, and that we can live ethical and fulfilling lives on the basis of reason and humanity. They have trusted the scientific method, evidence, and reason to discover truths about the universe and have placed human welfare and happiness at the centre of their ethical decision making. Today, people who share these beliefs and values are called humanists and this combination of attitudes is called Humanism. Secondly, from religious ideas where the liberation of humans is taug... Read More...
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is an intergovernmental economic organisation with 35 member countries, founded in 1961 to stimulate economic progress world trade. It is a forum of countries describing themselves as committed to democracy and the market economy, providing a platform to compare policy experiences, seeking answers to common problems, identify good practices and coordinate domestic and international policies of its members. OECD membership includes non-European states. Most OECD members are high-income economies with a very high Human Development Index (HDI) and are regarded as developed countries. ... Read More...
The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is a worldwide study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in member and non-member nations of 15-year-old school pupils' scholastic performance on mathematics, science, and reading. It was first performed in 2000 and then repeated every three years. It is done with a view to improving education policies and outcomes. It measures problem solving and cognition in daily life.The preparation for the tests makes government and schools educate its students in schools well. It improves standards of school education all ... Read More...
The Agreement on the European Economic Area, which entered into force in 1994, brings together the EU Member States and the three EEA EFTA States — Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway — in a single market, referred to as the "Internal Market". The EEA agreement also states that when a country becomes a member of the European Union, it shall also apply to become party to the EEA Agreement (Article 128), thus leading to an enlargement of the EEA.The EEA Agreement provides for the inclusion of EU legislation covering the four freedoms — the free movement of goods, services, persons and capital — throughout the 31 EEA States. In addition, the Agreement cove... Read More...
After the success of Mars mission Mangalyan and satellite navigation system IRNSS, India is set to make its own stealth combat drones or UCAVs (Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles) under the project named Ghatak. The drones will have the ability to take off from its home base, fire missiles and other guided weapons at enemy targets and return to home base. The project comes as a result of successfully completed AURA (autonomous unmanned research aircraft) program. Project Ghatak was initiated by Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) in collaboration with Indian Air Force (AIF). Indigenously developed Kaveri aerospace engine will be used in the UCAV. UCAVs on the other hand, are mo... Read More...
According to Webster, happiness is "a state of well-being and contentment." It has to be understood at various levels. Some equate basic human needs as the crux of happiness: nutritious and adequate food, sanitation, shelter, clothes, communication devices like mobile; education, skill and job, time and facilities for recreation etc. However that is well being. The difference can be in the form of unmet career aspirations, sexual inhibitions, fractured relationships -- revealed anxieties, insecurities and loss that make one happy or otherwise. Public policy as a role in facilitating human happiness by... Read More...