hindu10oct13
Quota for disabled nothing to do with 50 % ceiling: court
'Reserve 3 per cent jobs for them'
The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the Centre, the States and the Union Territories, and public sector
undertakings to reserve three per cent of their jobs for the disabled under a law to ensure they get equal
opportunity and protect their rights.
However, a Bench of Chief Justice P. Sathasivam and Justices Ranjana Desai and Ranjan Gogoi made it clear
that this quota had nothing to do with the 50 per cent ceiling; hence, the judgment in the Indra Sawhney
(Mandal) case would not be applicable.
Writing the judgment, the Chief Justice said employment was a key factor in the empowerment of people with
disabilities. “It is an alarming reality that the disabled people are out of job not because their disability comes
in the way of their functioning but because social and practical barriers prevent them from joining the
workforce.” So many disabled people lived in poverty, deprived of their right to contribute to their own lives
and to those of their families and community.
The changing world offered persons with disabilities more new opportunities, thanks to technological
advancement; however, the limitation surfaced only when they did not get equal opportunities.
“Therefore, bringing them into society, based on their capabilities, is the need of the hour,” the Bench said.
The Union of India, the State governments and the Union territories “have a categorical obligation” to protect
the rights of the disabled under the Constitution and international treaties on human rights in general and
those meant to protect such persons in particular. “Though the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities,
Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act came into force way back in 1995, the disabled have failed to
get the required benefit until today. Thus, … we are of the view that … reservation for persons with disabilities
has to be computed in the case of Group A, B, C and D posts in an identical manner: three per cent on the total
number of vacancies in the cadre strength and not on the total number of identified posts.”
The Bench said the Centre’s interpretation that the quota had to be computed only against the identified
posts, if accepted, would render the scheme uncertain because “experience has shown that identification has
never been uniform between the Centre and the States, and even among the departments of any
government.”
The Bench directed the Centre to issue an order, consistent with the court’s ruling, within three months and
directed the “appropriate government” to compute the number of vacancies available in all “establishments”
and further identify the posts for the disabled within three months and implement the scheme without
default.
The court asked the Centre to inform all departments, public sector undertakings and government companies
that their failure to execute the scheme would be considered an act of non-obedience, and departmental
proceedings would be instituted against the nodal officers responsible for the implementation.
On a petition filed by the National Federation of the Blind to seek implementation of the Act, the Delhi High
Court issued a series of directives to the Centre, which went on appeal.
The disabled people are out of job because of social and practical barriers, says Bench
NIIST scientist gets U.S. patent for fluorescent material
Imagine using water as an ink for writing. Or a security label which responds to moisture by changing colour.
A fluorescent paper that self-erases anything written on it will be an invaluable tool for temporary storage of
sensitive data. But if you thought all this is in the realm of science fiction, you could be wrong.
A scientist at the National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (NIIST), a constituent
laboratory of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) here, has secured a U.S. patent for a
fluorescent material that lends itself to various uses such as security labelling, detection of counterfeit
currency, and self-erasable writing.
A.Ajayaghosh, Outstanding scientist at the Chemical Science and Technology Division at NIIST, who recently
won the World Academy of Sciences annual award, has been granted the U.S. patent for the process of
preparing the fluorescent material that breaks its molecular assembly on exposure to moisture and changes
colour.
The paper made out of this material can be used to write self-erasable messages using water as an ink or
preparing fluorescent security labels to check the authenticity of important documents such as visa.
“On touching with a wet finger, the blue fluorescence changes to green and back again to blue on drying,” says
Dr. Ajayaghosh. The change of colour will be visible under ultraviolet light only.
A currency note printed using the fluorescent material will show a change of colour under UV light, on being
touched with a wet finger.
A paper made from the material can be used to store temporary data when it is written with a water pen. The
written matter is self-erased in six hours or on exposing the paper to hot air. Dr. Ajayaghosh says the use of
water pen on self-erasable paper will make it an environment-friendly option. He has already received several
enquiries on transfer of technology.
‘That the God particle bears Bose’s name is a great honour in itself’
Physicists in the city talk of the great scientist’s seminal contribution to particle physics
Welcoming The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences’s decision to award this year’s Nobel Prize in Physics to
scientists Peter Higgs and Francois Englert for predicting the existence of the Higgs boson (popularly known as
the God particle), which is named after Mr. Higgs and Indian scientist Satyendra Nath Bose, prominent
physicists here highlighted Professor Bose’s contribution in the field of particle physics.
Though it was “unfortunate” that Prof. Bose was not awarded the Nobel, the fact that the fundamental
particle bears a reference to his name is in itself a great honour, they said.
“As long as human civilisation exists, fundamental particles with a spin zero will be called bosons. Since the
particle that has been discovered has a spin zero it is called Higgs boson. This is a matter of pride for scientists
from India,” renowned physicist Bikash Sinha told The Hindu on Wednesday.
Prof. Bose, he said, made the remarkable discovery in 1924 at Dhaka University and in the 1950s, when Nobel
Laureate Paul Dirac visited the city and met him, he called the particles ‘bosons’ in the Indian physicist’s
honour.
“At a time when Prof. Bose made the discovery he had no idea that a particle Higgs boson could exist, but
years after the discovery that the name of the particle bears a resemblance with his name endorses the
strength of his discovery,” Prof. Sinha added.
Describing the discovery of Higgs bosons as “remarkable and the last missing piece in the puzzle of the
Standard Model,” Sibaji Raha, Director of the Bose Institute — an institute named after Prof. Bose — said the
physicist’s fame and contribution would not have been lesser even if the Higgs boson were not discovered.
“He provided impetus for Einstein to formulate Bose-Einstein statistics of which the last and most important
member in the boson family is Higgs boson,” he said.
Prof. Bose’s son Rathindranath said his father’s work could not be judged in terms of any award. “We have
seen how significant his work is… in fact other scientists whose works are based on his monumental research
are getting the Nobel Prize. It [Prof. Bose’s work] has become a part of text books.”
Physicists in the city talk of the great scientist’s seminal contribution to particle physics
Standard model of particle physics validated
The precursor:The LHC commenced planned research operations in March, 2010, involving over 3,000
personnel to operate it. On July 4, 2012, the ATLAS and CMS detector collaborations, which analysed the
results produced at the LHC, announced that they had spotted the first hints of a Higgs-boson-like particle.—
photo: AFP
The precursor:The LHC commenced planned research operations in March, 2010, involving over 3,000
personnel to operate it. On July 4, 2012, the ATLAS and CMS detector collaborations, which analysed the
results produced at the LHC, announced that they had spotted the first hints of a Higgs-boson-like particle.—
photo: AFP
Peter Higgs (right), from the University of Edinburgh, U.K., and Francois Englert, from the Free University of
Brussels , Belgium.— photo: AP
Peter Higgs (right), from the University of Edinburgh, U.K., and Francois Englert, from the Free University of
Brussels , Belgium.— photo: AP
Peter Higgs, from the University of Edinburgh, UK, and Francois Englert, from the Free University of Brussels,
have been awarded the Nobel Prize in physics for 2013 for their work in understanding how elementary
particles acquire mass. Higgs and Englert conducted their research independently but almost simultaneously in
1964; Englert worked with American physicist Robert Brout, who died in 2011 and therefore couldn’t be
awarded the Prize.
Before Peter Higgs’s work, the Standard Model of particle physics, a framework of laws that describes the
behaviour of fundamental particles, didn’t have an answer to the question of mass. Of course, the Model itself
shaped up only in the 1970s, but Higgs’s work was important to understand what the Model would or
wouldn’t accommodate. Together, Higgs and Englert described a mechanism, since called the Higgs
mechanism, to explain the process of mass-‘formation’ as it could have happened a billionth of a second after
the Big Bang 13.82 billion years ago. Today, their contribution is considered a cornerstone of modern particle
physics.
The foundation of Higgs’s and Francois’s research lies in the work of Japanese physicist Yoichiro Nambu, who
won the Nobel Prize for physics in 2008. Inspired by observations of superconducting materials from
condensed-matter physics, Nambu had proposed a process called spontaneous symmetry breaking in the
context of the strong nuclear interaction, one of the four fundamental forces of nature, to describe how
relatively lighter particles like quarks can come together to form disproportionately heavier particles like
protons and neutrons. However, Nambu’s theory lacked a relativistic model, which could have been used to
explain what Higgs and Englert did at higher energies. His theory was also faulted because it wrongly predicted
the existence of certain massless particles.
To unravel the Higgs mechanism: During the Big Bang, a sea of energy was unleashed into the universe by the
explosion. It was probably symmetrical, which means one part of the ‘sea’ was indistinguishable from every
other part across some time period. Just 10{+-}{+1}{+1}seconds later, however, the symmetry was violated and
broken because of some fluctuations in the field of energy, giving rise to new laws of physics.
In particle physics, this event is called spontaneous symmetry breaking. Higgs, Englert and Brout independently
devised a mechanism through which this event and its repercussions could impart mass to some matter and
force particles. Their theory relied on an invisible field of energy called the Higgs field pervading throughout
the universe. This was supposed to be a quantum field, which meant that it had some average positive energy.
When disturbed, waves would ride through the field like ripples on water. The smallest possible ripple, as with
any field, is called a particle; such a particle of the Higgs field is called the Higgs boson.
When elementary particles move through the Higgs field, Higgs bosons couple to them to varying extents —
stronger the coupling, more the retardation of the particle’s motion through the field, greater its mass. For this
mechanism to have arisen the way it did after the Big Bang, four particles were deemed necessary. Three of
them, the two W particles and the one Z particle (all bosons) were absorbed by the mediating electroweak
forces — which comprise the electromagnetic and the weak forces, two of the four fundamental forces of
nature.
This way, Higgs and Englert succeeded in providing a mathematical basis for how particles acquired mass in
general, and how the W and Z bosons acquired mass specifically.
Afterward, physicists Tom Kibble (UK), Gerald Guralnik and Carl Hagen (both USA) published more results on
the Higgs mechanism. In 1968, American theoretical physicist Steven Weinberg and Abdus Salam, a Pakistani,
incorporated the Higgs mechanism into the then-fledgling Standard Model. In 1983, according to the Model’s
predictions, the W and Z bosons were discovered at the UA1 and UA2 experiments at the European
Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN).
However, finding the Higgs boson itself was a more arduous journey. This particle was a smoking gun: finding it
would mean the Higgs field also existed, and would conclusively validate Higgs’s and Englert’s research.
To take this step, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) was planned by and built at CERN. Construction took from
1998 to 2008, involving more than 10,000 scientists and engineers from hundreds of universities, and over $9
billion.
Without a doubt, it is the most complex scientific experiment ever to be built, and its first purpose to find if a
Higgs boson existed.
The LHC commenced planned research operations in March, 2010, involving over 3,000 personnel to operate
it. On July 4, 2012, the ATLAS and CMS detector collaborations, which analysed the results produced at the
LHC, announced that they had spotted the first hints of a Higgs-boson-like particle.
After more experiments and testing, in January 2013, CERN announced that the particle was indeed the Higgs
boson. It turned, at that moment, that the mathematical framework developed by Peter Higgs and Francois
Englert almost 50 years ago did describe an aspect of nature and was real.
While the LHC and the collaborating experimental physicists only received passing mention in the Nobel Prize
citations of Higgs and Englert, they were the ones responsible for cementing the place of the Higgs mechanism
in the Standard Model.
Now, physicists can move on to other problems that the Model still hasn’t solved, such as finding what dark
matter is, why matter has been generated as some types of particles and not more or less, and why some
forces of nature are so much stronger than others.
The LHC will reopen in 2015 with upgrades to boost its collision energy and luminosity, aspects instrumental in
finding more elusive particles that could expose flaws in the Model and open the door for other, more
encompassing, theories of physics to make their presence felt.
Conserving the nearly extinct navara red rice organically
Muyang_Rice Mill Machine - Muyang,Leading brand of Grain Machine and complete project.
machineryshops.com/GrainMachine
Ads by Google
M.J. Prabu
Share · print · T+
Guiding force: Mr. Narayanan Unny says sourcing pure seeds was difficult. —Photo: M.J. Prabu
Guiding force: Mr. Narayanan Unny says sourcing pure seeds was difficult. —Photo: M.J. Prabu
The Navara Eco farm is nestled on the banks of the quietly flowing Shokanashini river in Chittur, Palghat
district, Kerala. The unique aspect of the farm is that it has the largest navara rice growing field (12 acres) in
the State.
“Navara is a medicinal rice variety and its cultivation is almost extinct. Many reasons such as non-availability of
pure seeds, low yield and high production cost are attributed for this. The speciality is that this is the only
organically grown navara rice farm in the region,” says Mr. P. Narayanan Unni, a third generation marketing
executive-turned-farmer, running the everyday activities of the farm.
Unlike other rice varieties, which are white in colour, navara is deep red and has been cultivated in the Palghat
region for more than 2,000 years but in the last 40- 50 years it has come close to being completely wiped out
due to several new hybrid varieties being introduced.
Focus
After taking over the farm’s management about 15 years ago, Mr. Unni decided to turn his attention to
conserving native rice varieties in the region. He figured out that many of the traditional varieties are fast
becoming extinct.
“I desired to work on conserving this specific rice because, apart from being a traditional variety, it is well
known among the local farmers. After years of strenuous effort I was able to collect and segregate enough
seeds and gradually moved into cultivating solely navara rice in my 12 acre farm,” he says.
Concept
During this time, he turned to organic farming in a serious manner and gradually evolved the concept of
Navara Eco Farm.
“The journey was not easy,” says Mr. Unni and adds “conserving the variety proved an almost impossible task
because sourcing pure seeds seemed uphill.
In some places the variety was already contaminated by other hybrid varieties. In addition the low yield (200
kgs from an acre) made the cultivation commercially unviable.
Added to this were problems faced during conversion to organic farming.
According to him, conversion to organic farming in navara rice was not very remunerative but his interest
pulled him on.
Pest control proved a major challenge. “Tulsi and marigold were planted on the field bunds to repel the
winged menace. Once pests damaged our four acres. For the next cropping season we trained our workers to
catch the pests using nylon nets.”
Being a traditional variety it was grown organically but because of its poor yield and difficulties in controlling
pests and diseases conventional method of farming was adopted by some interested farmers to conserve it.
Many moved away to growing other hybrid rice varieties.
The crop is sown for seeds directly in the main field during April and harvested in June. Once the seeds are
collected and cleaned it is again sown in December and harvested in February (60 days crop)
Selling price
Approximately from an acre 200 -250 kgs are harvested. The variety is presently being sold for Rs. 400 a kg
through personal contacts.
But why organic? Can we not grow this crop using fertilizers?
“Since it is a medicinal rice variety for consumption we decided to adopt only organic methods. We did not
want the chemical residues in the harvested grains,” explains Mr. Unni.
Over the years the farm has been able to educate the labourers on effective farming methods specifically
tailored for this type of rice farming. Today the workers guide other growers on the best practices being
followed at the farm, according to Mr. Unni.
Several awards
The several awards and recognitions conferred by State, central governments and other leading agriculture
institutions seem to prove the importance of his work.
Recently the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority conferred the second annual Plant
Genome Saviour community recognition award on him.
“The farm has also formed rice clusters for navara and got it registered under Geographical Indication through
farmer led initiatives. The entire farm is certified organic from 2006,” says Mr. Unni.
Many scientists, students, authorities of various government departments and agencies are visiting the farm to
learn about this variety and its cultivation details.
How molecules are routed within, outside cells
PAH Assay Kit - Assay kit sufficient for 100 colorimetric tests. www.sigmaaldrich.com
Ads by Google
Share · print · T+
Thomas C. Südhof, Stanford University; Randy W. Scheckman, University of California, Berkeley; James E.
Rothman, Yale University, U.S. (L to R)
Thomas C. Südhof, Stanford University; Randy W. Scheckman, University of California, Berkeley; James E.
Rothman, Yale University, U.S. (L to R)
Thomas C. Südhof, Stanford University; Randy W. Scheckman, University of California, Berkeley; James E.
Rothman, Yale University, U.S. (L to R)
Thomas C. Südhof, Stanford University; Randy W. Scheckman, University of California, Berkeley; James E.
Rothman, Yale University, U.S. (L to R)
Thomas C. Südhof, Stanford University; Randy W. Scheckman, University of California, Berkeley; James E.
Rothman, Yale University, U.S. (L to R)
Thomas C. Südhof, Stanford University; Randy W. Scheckman, University of California, Berkeley; James E.
Rothman, Yale University, U.S. (L to R)
Since most molecules are too large to directly pass through membranes, a mechanism is required to deliver
the cargo
The 2013 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is awarded to Dr. James E. Rothman, Dr. Randy W. Schekman
and Dr. Thomas C. Südhof for their discoveries of machinery regulating vesicle traffic, a major transport system
in our cells. This represents a paradigm shift in our understanding of how the eukaryotic cell, with its complex
internal compartmentalisation, organises the routing of molecules packaged in vesicles to various intracellular
destinations, as well as to the outside of the cell.
Specificity in the delivery of molecular cargo is essential for cell function and survival. This specificity is
required for the release of neurotransmitters into the presynaptic region of a nerve cell to transmit a signal to
a neighbouring nerve cell. Likewise, specificity is required for the export of hormones such as insulin to the cell
surface.
While vesicles within the cell were long known to be critical components of this transportation scheme, the
precise mechanism by which these vesicles found their correct destination and how they fused with organelles
or the plasma membrane to deliver the cargo remained mysterious. The work of the three 2013 Laureates
radically altered our understanding of this aspect of cell physiology.
Eukaryotic cells differ from prokaryotic cells by their more complex intracellular organisation. Distinct cellular
processes are compartmentalised. This improves efficiency but a problem emerges. Different compartments
need to exchange specific molecules and certain molecules need to be exported to the cell exterior. Since most
molecules are too large to directly pass through membranes, a mechanism is required to deliver the cargo.
Randy W. Schekman used yeast genetics to dissect the mechanism involved in membrane and vesicle
trafficking. He used baker’s yeast ( Saccharomyces cerevisiae ) as it secretes glycoproteins. Also, the genetically
amenable organism was ideal to study vesicle transport and fusion. Schekman devised a genetic screen to
identify genes regulating intracellular transport.
Initially, he identified two genes — sec1 and sec2 — and then went to further identify 23 genes that belonged
to three different classes. The sequence of posttranslational events in the export of yeast glycoproteins was
then determined with the aid of mutants. By studying the genetic and morphologic study of these mutants,
Schekman discovered vesicle intermediates in the traffic between the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and Golgi
apparatus. Importantly, the sec17 and sec18 mutants accumulated small vesicles implicating a role in vesicle
fusion.
James E. Rothman embarked upon a novel approach to dissect events involved in intracellular vesicle transport
using an in vitro reconstitution assay. By using this approach, he purified essential components of the vesicle
fusion process. Since it was difficult to express genes in animal cells in the 1970s, Rothman took advantage of a
system based on vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV).
In this system, large amounts of a particular viral protein, the VSV-G protein, are produced in infected cells. A
unique feature of this system is that the VSV-G protein is marked by a particular sugar modification when it
reaches the Golgi compartment, which makes it possible to identify when it reaches its destination.
He then studied both vesicle budding and fusion, and purified proteins from the cytoplasm that were required
for transport. The first protein to be purified was the N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor (NSF). The next
important protein was SNAP (soluble NSF-attachment protein). SNAPs bind to membranes and assist in the
recruitment of NSF. An important point of convergence between Schekman’s and Rothman’s work was the
discovery that one of the yeast mutants, sec18, corresponded to NSF, thus revealing that the vesicle fusion
machinery was evolutionarily ancient.
Using the NSF and SNAP proteins as bait, Rothman next turned to brain tissue, from which he purified proteins
that he later named SNAREs (soluble NSF-attachment protein receptors). The three SNARE proteins —
VAMP/Synaptobrevin, SNAP-25 and syntaxin — functioned together in the vesicle and target membranes.
These SNARE proteins were discovered earlier but their functions were unknown.
VAMP/Synaptobrevin was found on the vesicle, and SNAP-25 and syntaxin were found at the plasma
membrane. This prompted Rothman to propose the SNARE hypothesis. According to the hypothesis, the
different SNAREs found on the vesicles (v-SNARE) and the targets (t-SHARE) played a critical role in vesicle
fusion — through a set of sequential steps of synaptic docking, activation and fusion.
Aside from testing his hypothesis in vitro, he provided evidence that the system has a high degree of
specificity, such that a particular target SNARE only interacted with one or a few of the large number of
potential vesicle –SNAREs.
In essence, Rothman dissected the mechanism for vesicle transport and membrane fusion, and through
biochemical studies proposed a model to explain how vesicle fusion occurs with the required specificity.
Thomas C. Südhof who was a junior group leader at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in
Dallas set out to study how synaptic vesicle fusion was controlled. While Rothman and Schekman provided the
fundamental machinery for vesicle fusion, how the vesicle fusion was temporally controlled still remained
enigmatic. This is important as vesicular fusions in the body need to be kept carefully in check, and in some
cases vesicle fusion has to be executed with high precision in response to specific stimuli. This is the case for
example for neurotransmitter release in the brain and for insulin secretion from the endocrine pancreas.
Südhof elucidated how calcium regulates neurotransmitter release in neurons and discovered that complexin
and synaptotagmin are two critical proteins in calcium-mediated vesicle fusion.
Complexin competes with alpha-SNAP, but not synaptotagmin, for SNAP receptor binding. Neurons from
complexin knock-out mice showed dramatically reduced transmitter release efficiency due to decreased
calcium sensitivity of the synaptic secretion process. This revealed that complexin acts at a late step in synaptic
fusion as a clamping mechanism that prevents constitutive fusion and allows regulated exocytosis to occur.
Südhof also discovered synaptotagmin-1 (21), which coupled calcium to neurotransmitter release. The role for
synaptotagmin-1 as a calcium sensor for rapid synaptic fusion was established by elegantly demonstrating that
calcium binding to synaptotagmin-1 participates in triggering neurotransmitter release at the synapse. He also
characterized Munc18-1, which corresponds to Schekman´s sec-1 and is therefore also called an SM protein.
SM proteins are now known to be an integral part of the vesicle fusion protein complex, along with the SNARE
proteins. Südhof showed that deletion of Munc18-1 in mice leads to a complete loss of neurotransmitter
secretion from synaptic vesicles.
In effect, Südhof made critical discoveries that advanced the understanding of how vesicle fusion is temporally
controlled and he elucidated the ways that calcium levels regulate neurotransmitter release at the synapse.
Importance for medicine
The work of Rothman, Schekman and Südhof has unravelled machinery that is essential for routing of cargo in
cells in organisms as distantly related as yeast and man. These discoveries have had a major impact on our
understanding of how molecules are correctly sorted to precise locations in cell. In the light of this, it comes as
no surprise that defects at any number of steps in the machinery controlling vesicle transport and fusion are
associated with disease.
Vesicle transport and fusion are essential for physiological processes ranging from control of nerve cell
communication in the brain to immunological responses and hormone section.
Deregulation of the transport system is associated with disease in these areas. For example, metabolic
disorders such as type 2 diabetes are characterised by defects in both insulin secretion from pancreatic betacells and insulin-mediated glucose transporter translocation in skeletal muscle and adipose tissue.
Furthermore, immune cells in our bodies rely on functional vesicle trafficking and fusion to send out
substances including cytokines and immunologic effector molecules that mediate.
( Edited excerpts from the scientific background available at nobelprize.org )
Erroneous trades: Uniform annulment policy mooted
2/3 BHK Apts @ Hosur Road - Just Launched Premium Flats. From Rs. 58 Lk Onwards. Enquire!
www.Bren.com/ApartmentsBangalore
Ads by Google
Share · print · T+
Public comments on the discussion paper can be submitted till Oct 31
To tackle instances of erroneous trading activities in the securities market, Securities and Exchange Board of
India (SEBI), on Wednesday, proposed a slew of measures for the stock exchanges, including well-defined
parameters and time-bound approach, for deciding on annulment of such trades.
The latest suggestions from SEBI come against the backdrop of at least four instances of faulty trades
disrupting the market in recent times, the latest being placing of erroneous orders on the National Stock
Exchange in February this year.
Releasing a discussion paper on policy with regard to erroneous trades, the SEBI said the objective was to
“have a uniform policy for trade annulment.”
Transparent approach
According to the market regulator, stock exchanges shall adopt a transparent and time-bound approach to
decide upon cases related to annulment of trade before making the final settlement.
Suggesting that bourses need to define minimum parameters to identify erroneous orders/trades, it said that
cancellation should happen only in exceptional situations. The exceptional circumstances include fraud and
market manipulation.
“Stock exchanges shall examine cases of erroneous orders/ trades and apply deterrent penalties in the form of
fines or suspension of trading rights of the stock broker,” the discussion paper said.
At present, SEBI has not prescribed regulatory framework with regard to ‘annulment of trades’ and stock
exchanges are empowered to take action as they deem fit.
Public comments on the paper can be submitted to SEBI till October 31. The stock exchange shall clearly define
the circumstances for entertaining requests for cancellation of trade or price reset. Generally, ‘price reset’ is a
mechanism where the price of executed trades are adjusted to a new determined price. Besides, the market
watchdog has proposed that bourses should analyse the potential effect of trade annulment.
With regard to framework adopted by stock exchanges, the paper has said that they should specify the type of
entities who can invoke the mechanism for cancellation of erroneous trades.
Among others, SEBI has suggested that stock exchanges shall provide a mechanism for parties concerned to
request a review of the decision related to erroneous trades, and also publish the same on their websites. —
PTI
NBFCs have advantage in bank licence application: Chakrabarty
IBPS Exams Important 2014 - Score Well in IBPS Exams 2014 By Preparing in 4 Weeks. More Info
Bankingcareers.in/IBPS-Exams-Book
Ads by Google
Share · print · T+
Non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) have the advantage over other applicants for banking licences as they
already have good customer base, Reserve Bank of India Deputy Governor K. C. Chakrabarty said here on
Wednesday.
“NBFCs have one advantage that they have customer base. If they get the licence, they can convert themselves
into banks,” he said when asked whether NBFCs will get a priority in terms of bank licences.
“But how it will be done, what are the other factors, I don’t know because a separate committee has been
appointed (to award licences),” he added after inaugurating Kotak Mahindra Bank’s 500th branch here.
The RBI has received 26 applications for new banking licence from corporates such as Tata Group, Aditya Birla,
Anil Ambani’s Reliance Group and Bajaj Group apart from India Post. Around a dozen NBFCs are also in the
race.
Last week Governor Raghuram Rajan appointean external committee which will screen the list of applicants.
On banks offering loans to credit cardholders while purchasing goods or services, the Deputy Governor said,
“There is no ban on giving loans on credit cards. Don’t charge 12 per cent actually and claim that I am charging
only zero per cent interest.”
“We are not saying you give a loan and say that no EMI has to be paid...absolutely no problem. The only thing
is whatever the EMI has to be paid, transparently say, what is the interest rate you are charging,” Dr.
Charkrabarty said. He said the timing of the ban on zero per cent interest schemes was perfect as during
festival seasons mis-selling remained at peak.
When asked whether credit off-take will pick up since some banks have reduced lending rates on select
products, Dr. Chakrabarty said banks were already giving too much loans. “Our problem is that banks are
giving too much loans. It is not our concern, the bank which must be able to mobilise the resources,” he said.
—PTI
Portable dialysis system
IBPS Exams Important 2014 - Score Well in IBPS Exams 2014 By Preparing in 4 Weeks. More Info
Bankingcareers.in/IBPS-Exams-Book
Ads by Google
Share · print · T+
Healthcare provider Apollo Hospitals Enterprise, on Wednesday, entered into a partnership with global
medical technology giant Medtronic Inc to develop a cost-effective and portable hemodialysis system in India.
The collaboration will leverage on a technology platform developed by Medtronic and will be supported by
clinical insight from Apollo. The system, the company says, will to help improve access to care for end stage
renal disease patients who need renal replacement therapy (RRT). —Staff Reporter
A better life, a healthier mind
Gated Community Bangalore - 1, 2,3 &4 BHK. Price 27.5L to 1Cr. 20 mins From Hebbal. Enquire Now!
www.OzoneUrbana.com
Ads by Google
Vandana Gopikumar
Share · print · T+
In recent years, the impact of mental illness on the social and economic health of nations has been well
understood, placing mental ill health as one of the leading causes of disability adjusted life years (DALY)
worldwide. There has been much focus on early intervention, integration of mental health into primary care,
stigma reduction and access to affordable health care, all very relevant and essential policy recommendations.
However, we may not be addressing a related and critical area, sufficiently aggressively, if we are to respond
comprehensively to what may well emerge as a health crisis, costing nations productivity and resources. Our
responses thus far are on a tertiary, crisis resolution mode with negligible focus on prevention — a necessity, if
we are to improve society’s collective quality of life and plan for mental health gains.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has drawn our attention to the close interplay between poverty and
mental ill health by documenting evidence that those affected by poverty, hunger, unemployment, debt or are
living in poor, overcrowded housing are far more susceptible to common mental disorders. It also reports that
75 per cent of the global burden of Neuro Psychiatric Disorders occurs in low and middle-income countries. In
a somewhat similar vein, Anandi Mani and Sendhil Mullainathan recently probed the impact of scarcity on
peoples’ lives. The results of their trial show diminished cognitive functioning among those experiencing the
strain of poverty, causing them to often make bad decisions, ignoring long-term benefits because of their more
immediate preoccupation with money. This could result in poor mental health outcomes, as well.
Vicious cycle
The cyclical impact of poverty on ill health and stress and vice versa can be a trap that one struggles to crawl
out of. I have seen families opt out of treatment and, sometimes, resort to suicide experiencing utter
hopelessness; elderly caregivers give up, unable to bear the brunt of a devastating combination of mental
illness and poverty. This interplay leaves workers such as me powerless and disillusioned, often sapping
motivation and encouraging exit, leaving the sector scarcer in resources.
So, what can we do differently? While the medicalisation of sadness and unusual behaviour has been much
criticised, pharmacotherapy has indeed yielded results and its importance cannot be trivialised or dismissed.
But have we tried all else to address the multi-dimensional factors that impact one’s well-being? This is why
the concept of Social Prescribing as a response to mental health issues may work well in a low-resource setting
such as India, where the ecosystem could often precipitate stressful living conditions.
Social Prescribing is often used for vulnerable groups such as homeless persons, persons affected with mental
health issues, single parents and people living in poverty and experiencing deprivation. The idea is to prescribe
access to benefits, information, exercise, spirituality, social contact, employment, volunteering for a cause,
peer support and participation in self help groups, social enterprises and so on to ensure that those who are
preoccupied with the ‘here and now’ overwhelming issues of abject poverty and ill health have fresh insights
and options to live life differently.
The facilitator, who helps access these options, offers a structured introduction to a new way of life that
includes some of the finer aspects of living that contrast with the everyday monotony of distress and struggle.
For those who are poor, the access to benefits including housing schemes, pensions and social care could help
effectively combat other non-medical crises that build stress and accentuate depressive moods. Engagement
in diverse activities and being occupied could also lend a sense of purpose or meaning to a person’s life — an
empirically established way to stay happy and contented.
So, who makes this work? Besides the primary care practitioner and the specialist psychiatrist and
psychologist, this would legitimise and open up the role of yet another specialist, the psychiatric social worker,
who by training is equipped with skills to address and respond to the multiple needs of a person with a mental
health issue. If positioned within the government-owned system, the health and the social welfare
departments will have to converge to ensure that the consumer finally benefits from both types of care — a
form of convergence that the 65th World Health Assembly advocates as an essential attribute of a robust
mental health system.
Political will needed
While the administrative systems could respond, a measure such as this calls for strong political will and
action. Besides ensuring that schemes reach the poor, an important construct of social care in mental health is
yet to be managed — the disability allowance. The Persons with Disabilities Act ensures an allowance for those
affected by mental illness based on compliance with certain set criteria. This benefit will ensure that the poor
user and caregiver have access to some reprieve and help address socio economic challenges that we now
know influence the people’s behaviour and their health. This may well encourage treatment commitment; a
common and critical challenge one faces in the mental health sector. Despite being an entitlement, accessing
this advantage has been a close to impossible task for many in India. During this period of economic downturn,
one may debate the wisdom behind what seemingly is an indirect investment to improve health and yet a
significant revenue allocation, keeping in mind large numbers affected by mental disorders. However, like
Stuckler and Basu (and indeed many others) eloquently argue in The Body Economic , on why austerity kills,
reviewing the response of nations from the times of the Great Depression to newer global economic crises,
almost always establishing a link between better quality of life, improved health outcomes and effective social
protection schemes; I would also caution governments and societies from falling into the trap of the notions of
scarcity discussed earlier. Trading off long-term benefits for immediate relief could have detrimental effects on
the social health of this very vulnerable group.
The good news is that India has launched a progressive attempt to both introduce a Mental Health Care Bill
(that will encourage the common man to view mental health care as a right, making services mandatory) and a
Mental Health Policy that will focus on precisely this — the diverse needs that promote well-being.
Meanwhile, if Social Prescriptions and Protection can be tested anywhere in India, it has to be in Tamil Nadu, a
leader in social innovation and health and development indicators. With the Amma kitchen and neer , basic
amenities such as food and water have been made available to many at a reasonable price — an approach that
can soon be sustainable, make economic sense and along the way result in social merging or mixing, blurring
the lines between classes.
Now, imagine this as a mental health response — a person with depression walks into a clinic, receives medical
attention and is then guided to a social worker who would refer the client to multiple other services including
a social protection scheme that works. We would then truly be addressing the needs of those who according
the World Disability Report (2010) are the poorest-persons with disabilities. In the process, we would build
non pathological responses to healing the mind and construct holistic services that will eventually promote
social capital, have an impact on progress and development and help promote equity.
(Vandana Gopikumar is founder of The Banyan.)
Poverty takes a huge toll on the mind and on this World Mental Health Day, the focus should be on the wellbeing offered by community-based alternative approaches
Finding common ground across the seas
Gated Community Bangalore - 1, 2,3 &4 BHK. Price 27.5L to 1Cr. 20 mins From Hebbal. Enquire Now!
www.OzoneUrbana.com
Ads by Google
Pallavi Aiyar
Share · print · T+
Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Indonesian President Sukarno drivng through the streets of Bandung in
April 1955. Since Indonesia’s transition to democracy in 1998, its commonalities with India have only increased
— both are large democracies that emphasise pluralism.— Photo: The Hindu Archives
Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Indonesian President Sukarno drivng through the streets of Bandung in
April 1955. Since Indonesia’s transition to democracy in 1998, its commonalities with India have only increased
— both are large democracies that emphasise pluralism.— Photo: The Hindu Archives
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s state visit to Indonesia from October 10 to 12 will attract a lot less attention
than his recent trip to the United States or his meetings with the Chinese President. Yet, he has a lot more in
common with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono than either Xi Jinping or Barack Obama.
Both Dr. Singh and Mr. Yudhoyono are currently in the final lap of their second terms in power. While both
were initially heralded as potentially transformational statesmen, they are nearing the end of their tenure as
lame ducks.
They have seen their countries crest a wave of economic growth over the last decade. India and Indonesia’s
youthful demographic profile and expanding middle-class consumer base have led many an excitable
investment banker to mark them as the economies to watch. But the once cantering economies have slowed,
and current account deficits and plunging currencies are among the unappetising items on the Last Supper
that Dr. Singh and Mr. Yudhoyono are left digesting.
But India-Indonesia parallels run a lot deeper. Since Indonesia’s transition to democracy in 1998, the
commonalities with India have only increased. India is the world’s largest democracy and Indonesia its third
largest one. The two countries are also home to the largest (Indonesia) and third largest (India) number of
Muslims in the world. Both are members of important multilateral forums like the G-20 and East Asia Summit.
India and Indonesia are maritime neighbours. Given that Indonesia rules the major waterways between the
Indian and Pacific Oceans—- waters through which more than half of all international maritime trade passes —
the strategic significance of the relationship looms large. In fact India’s 2009 maritime strategy document
listed the Sunda and Lombok straits, both under Indonesian control, as major choke points with complicating
potential for Indian interests. Cooperation with Indonesia is a prerequisite to enable the Indian Navy’s
operations in these waters. Joint coastal monitoring has been ongoing since 2010, but there is a need to step
up this cooperation, including joint maritime exercises and training.
The relationship with Indonesia has also assumed greater importance in the context of China’s rise and
expanding regional reach. Both India and Indonesia have the potential to act as balancing powers and can aid
each other in their mutual goals of engaging China to benefit from its economic might, while ensuring that
Beijing’s power is not untrammelled.
In the past Indonesia has proven helpful to India, as in 2005, when it lobbied within the Association of South
East Asian Nations (Asean) for India’s inclusion in the East Asia Summit, a regional grouping that Beijing had
been keen to keep New Delhi out of.
Mediator role
In recent months Indonesia has been playing the mediator’s role within Asean to find a solution to China’s
maritime disputes with countries like Vietnam and the Philippines. These efforts appear to have born some
fruit with Beijing agreeing to talks with Asean on a code of conduct for handling conflict in the South China Sea,
despite it being a long-standing Chinese position that any such discussions be confined to bilateral meetings.
India would do well to support Indonesia’s role in diffusing tensions in the region’s flashpoints.
Counter-terrorism is another field where Indonesia and India should deepen their cooperation. They have both
suffered from major terrorist attacks by radical Islamist groups in the last decade. Indonesia’s record in
cracking down on terrorist outfits has been excellent and its anti-terrorism training school based in the city of
Semarang, is one of the region’s top institutions.
Economic relations between the two countries, another focus of Dr. Singh’s visit, are not insubstantial. Twoway trade was worth around $21.3 billion in 2012. Forty-six per cent of India’s trade with Indonesia consists of
palm oil imports. India is in fact Indonesian palm oil’s largest consumer. Indonesia is also India’s biggest
supplier of coal, with some 76 per cent of Indian coal imports originating there.
While there is some Indian investment in Indonesia, focused on automotives (Tata Motors has just launched
three models of cars), textiles, steel and banking, talks on a comprehensive economic cooperation agreement
(CECA) have yet to take off.
Indonesia has a large Indian diaspora, many of whom play an influential role in the Indonesian economy. The
entertainment industry, with its Sindhi moguls, is a case in point.
Yet, India has failed to exploit these connections. The lack of direct flights connecting India and Indonesia is a
dampener on business as well as people-to-people exchanges.
In contrast, the Chinese diaspora is an active economic bridge between mainland China and Indonesia, and
several direct flights link Indonesia to Chinese cities, including second-tier ones like Fuzhou and Xiamen.
Indonesia’s trade with China stands tellingly at $66 billion.
Indonesia has just concluded hosting this year’s APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation) meeting and with it
several world leaders held talks with Mr. Yudhoyono to cement ties with the archipelago. Dr. Singh will
therefore be only one in a long line of international luminaries to have been seen shaking Mr. Yudhoyono’s
hand over the last weeks.
And yet India and Indonesia can potentially have a special relationship. The manner in which Indonesia tackles
issues like corruption, the balance between social justice and economic growth, political decentralisation, and
communal harmony in a religiously diverse country, hold valuable insights for India. And India’s long history of
democracy serves as validation for Indonesia’s more recent democratic transition.
If in the twilight of their terms in office, Dr. Singh and Mr. Yudhoyono are able to transcend feel-good rhetoric
and help set up the mechanisms that would aid a sustained and substantial engagement between the two
countries, it may yet add some luster to their legacies.
India and Indonesia share a lot of similarities which New Delhi can leverage to forge a special relationship
Trading on hunger
Farmhouse in Bangalore - Near Kanakapura Just Rs.188/sqft with all amenities, Birds & Animals
www.divinedevelopers.co.in
Ads by Google
Share · print · T+
Roberto Azevêdo’s observation that India’s food security law may violate its commitments to the World Trade
Organization should not take New Delhi by surprise. If anything, the government should be thankful the
Director-General — who seems apprised of India’s legitimate demand for ensuring food security — has
recommended an interim solution until the WTO Ministerial Conference in December deliberates this issue. It
was clear from the start that legislating such a mammoth undertaking would involve purchasing food grain
from farmers at high prices and selling them through the Public Distribution System at subsidised rates. Not
only should the needy be provided access to food but farmers too must be incentivised to produce more grain
to reduce reliance on imports. Both actions, it has been argued, constitute a type of price support that the
WTO classifies as “amber box measures” – “considered to distort production and trade.” More specifically,
India has to comply with its commitments under the “Aggregate Measurement of Support,” which stipulates a
ceiling on domestic subsidies. Mr. Azevêdo says the food security law will breach India’s AMS commitments.
For now, the government has sought an “interim” concession from the WTO to ensure India is not subject to
legal action from other members, especially the United States and the European Union.
But this is no sustainable solution, and the future of India’s food security law may well hinge on the outcome
of the WTO ministerial meet in Bali in December. The G33 group of developing countries — with India as a
prominent member — has proposed exempting price support measures aimed at furthering food security from
the purview of their AMS commitments. This argument, however, has cut no ice at the WTO. In fact, the West
has seized upon the G33’s vulnerability, tying its proposal to the larger, deadlocked discussion on “trade
facilitation” under the Doha Development Round. At the Bali Conference, it is likely the U.S. and EU will push
for a grand bargain: lesser import restrictions and open markets in developing countries for exemptions on
procuring subsidised food grain. With no wiggle room to negotiate, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh signalled
India’s readiness to strike this bargain during his recent visit to Washington. In an election year, with the Food
Security Act touted as a jewel in its crown, the United Progressive Alliance cannot afford to be complacent. To
protect its food security law — and the promise of adequate nutrition for the poor it is supposed to deliver —
the government must go into a diplomatic overdrive. The aim is to secure an exemption from AMS limits
without conceding too much ground to the West, which is more interested in penetrating the Indian market.
Don’t ignore the children
DHI Hair Loss Treatment - Quality Hair Loss Treatment With No Pain, No scar.Guaranteed Result
www.dhiindia.com/HairLossTreatment
Ads by Google
Share · print · T+
After years of neglect, childhood tuberculosis — which accounts for over six per cent of the global TB burden
— is finally getting due attention. WHO recently published its first-ever targeted road map outlining the steps
needed to move towards zero childhood TB deaths. The report comes close on the heels of the organisation
including for the first time the estimates of the global TB burden in children below 15 years in its 2012 global
tuberculosis report. Last year also saw childhood TB getting special focus in the World TB Day theme. Though
over half-a-million new cases are reported every year from across the world in those who are HIV negative, the
actual TB burden must be much higher. The reasons are pretty obvious. Most of what is reported are only the
cases of sputum smear-positive pulmonary TB. However, sputum smear-negative disease is most frequent
even in pulmonary TB. Most often, all cases of extra-pulmonary TB go unreported even though this category of
TB accounts for “approximately 20-30 per cent.” Unlike adolescents, children under five may not produce
sputum for examination. In the absence of sputum samples, there is no highly reliable and easily usable
diagnostic tool to confirm the disease, especially in developing countries where TB is endemic and
malnourishment is high. Hence, developing reliable and affordable tests has become a great research priority.
As a result, high burden countries like India, where 10-20 per cent of all TB occurs in children, need to find
alternative strategies to target vulnerable children who are more prone to becoming infected and diseased.
Implementing the WHO’s close contact screening of children under five from households where an adult has
been newly diagnosed with sputum smear-positive pulmonary TB would go a long way in achieving the desired
results. Adults would have spread the infection to children in the same household before seeking treatment. A
clinical examination of children combined with laboratory confirmation in suspicious cases would go a long
way in revealing their TB status. This approach has twin advantages. While the diseased would be put on
treatment without delay, the asymptomatic children would end up getting a preventive therapy. A
prophylactic treatment using a single drug — isoniazid — once daily for six months would cut down the
number of young ones who may become diseased. It would reduce the TB load and the mortality rate. Yet, in
India’s TB control programme, contact screening is way down in the priority list. There are challenges, but
training health workers and adopting minor changes to the existing system alone can yield good results.
What’s the government waiting for?
Lending weight to the question of mass
Free JEE Chemistry Tution - Access Free Video Lectures, Notes & Test to crack IITJEE. Register Now!
www.TheDigiLibrary.com/JEECourse
Ads by Google
Vasudevan Mukunth
Share · print · T+
This graphical representation of an experimental result in the search for the Higgs particle shows the tracks
of two high-energy photons and other particles produced in a collision inside the LHC. —Photo: AP
This graphical representation of an experimental result in the search for the Higgs particle shows the tracks
of two high-energy photons and other particles produced in a collision inside the LHC. —Photo: AP
The work of Peter Higgs and Francois Englert on how elementary particles acquired their mass is a cornerstone
of modern particle physics in general, and of the Standard Model, a theoretical framework in particle physics,
in particular. Conducted almost 50 years ago in 1964, the research of this year’s winners of the Nobel Prize in
physics has definitely been “tested by time”, one of the Nobel Committee’s criteria to be selected for the
prestigious prize
Their research unravels an event called spontaneous symmetry breaking that happened 10{+-}{+1}{+1}seconds
after the Big Bang 13.82 billion years ago. The event violated the symmetry in the sea of energy unleashed by
the Bang and gave rise to particles with different masses. Mr. Higgs and Mr. Englert (working with Robert
Brout, who died in 2011) attributed these masses to the Higgs field, an invisible field of energy pervading the
universe. The smallest disturbances in this field were encapsulated as particles called Higgs bosons. When
other elementary particles move through this field, Higgs bosons couple with them in varying degrees —
stronger the coupling, more the retardation of the particle’s motion through the field, and greater its mass.
This mechanism has come to be known as the Higgs-Englert-Brout (HEB) mechanism, for which Mr. Higgs and
Mr. Englert were awarded the Nobel Prize.
The Standard Model, into which the HEB mechanism was incorporated by Steven Weinberg and Abdus Salam
in 1968, rests on the validity of this mechanism. Without mass, elementary particles would be like photons,
zipping through space at the speed of light and unable to participate in any of the reactions that are the reason
anything exists, whether atoms, molecules, life forms, planets, stars or galaxies.
These efforts are part of a grander context: that of bringing the laws of physics under one umbrella to explain
everything from the smallest of scales to the largest. At the moment, though, there exist two stubbornly
irreconcilable ‘laws’ of physics: Einstein’s theories of relativity and gravitation for the cosmos, and quantum
mechanics for elementary particles. Unifying gravity and quantum mechanics is one of the biggest problems in
physics. The Standard Model is not complete either, and it is in its failures that physicists believe the clues to a
grand unified theory lie.
Correct predictions
Apart from prophesying the discovery of the Higgs boson, the Model also correctly predicted the existence of
the bottom quark (experimentally found in 1977), W and Z bosons (theorised by the Higgs mechanism, found
in 1983), top quark (1995), and the tau neutrino lepton (2000). That’s an impressive track record for a
framework that has no idea what dark matter is, why there are three types of elementary particles (bosons,
quarks and leptons) and not two or four, or why some forces in nature are incredibly stronger than others —
questions probing deeper and ever more fundamental aspects of nature.
LHC's role
One place where answers to these questions can be found is at what is possibly one of the world’s most
complex experiments, constructed and operated at the largest scale of human endeavour: The Large Hadron
Collider (LHC), a 4.3-km wide atom-smasher located near Geneva, Switzerland. In July 2012, it spotted the first
physical hints of the Higgs boson, paving the way for the HEB mechanism to be firmly cemented into the
Standard Model canon. There is a bit of tragedy here: while the Nobel Prize went to Mr. Francois and Mr.
Englert, their achievements couldn’t have been validated without the collaborated efforts of more than 10,000
engineers and scientists from hundreds of universities around the world, with more than $9 billion in funding
(as of 2010) involved in building and operating the collider. Sadly, the collaboration was mentioned only in
passing.
The silver lining is that the LHC is not yet done. It is slated to reopen post-upgrades in 2015, and will continue
to search for more elusive particles, perhaps finding one beyond the Standard Model itself.
Such an event would open the window for a newer, more comprehensive model of particle physics, and pave
the way for a grand unified theory of everything.
[email protected]
Blog: http://thne.ws/thecopernican
The work behind this year’s Nobel for Physics advances the search for a grand unifying theory on the
fundamental aspects of nature
When computer is as important as a test tube
Gated Community Bangalore - 1, 2,3 &4 BHK. Price 27.5L to 1Cr. 20 mins From Hebbal. Enquire Now!
www.OzoneUrbana.com
Ads by Google
Share · print · T+


The Laureates made classical physics work side-by-side with the fundamentally different quantum
physics
Chemists all over the world devise and carry out experiments on their computers on a daily basis. With the help
of the methods that Martin Karplus, Michael Levitt and Arieh Warshel began to develop in the 1970s, they
examined every tiny step in complex chemical processes invisible to the naked eye.
For example, if you can mimic photosynthesis you will be able create more efficient solar cells. When water
molecules are split oxygen is created, but also hydrogen that could be used to power our vehicles.
So, go online and find a three dimensional image of the proteins that govern photosynthesis. You can twist and
turn the image on your computer. It unveils gigantic protein molecules consisting of thousands of atoms.
Somewhere in the middle, there is a region called the reaction centre, where the water molecules are split.
However, only a few atoms are directly involved in the reaction. The image shows how atoms and ions are
positioned in relation to each other, but it says nothing about what these atoms and ions do. Somehow, electrons
must be extracted from the water and four protons need to be taken care of.
The details of this process are virtually impossible to map using traditional methods of chemistry. Things
happen in fractions of milliseconds — ruling out most kinds of test tube experiments. The image that you have
only shows the proteins in a state of rest. When sunlight hits the leaves, the proteins are filled with energy and
the entire atomic structure is changed. To understand the chemical reaction you need to know what this energyfilled state looks like.
Using of the Nobel Laureates’ software you can calculate various plausible reaction pathways. When you have a
plausible reaction path it is easier to carry out experiments that can verify the computer’s results. These
experiments can then yield new clues that lead to even better simulations; theory and practice cross-fertilize
each other. Thus, chemists now spend as much time in front of their computers as they do among test tubes.
Previously, software at scientists’ disposal was based upon either classical Newtonian physical theories or
quantum physics, both with strengths and weaknesses. Classical programs gave chemists a good representation
of how the atoms were positioned in the molecules but only displayed molecules in a state of rest. During
reactions, molecules are filled with energy; they become excited. Classical physics simply have no
understanding for such states – a severe limitation.
When scientists wanted to simulate chemical reactions, they turned to quantum physics, the theory where
electrons can be both particles and waves simultaneously. It is unbiased and excludes any of the scientist’s
preconceptions, making simulations more realistic. The downside: these calculations require enormous
computing power because they yield detailed descriptions of chemical processes.
So, classical and quantum chemistry were two fundamentally different rivalling worlds. But the Nobel Laureates
in Chemistry 2013 have opened a gate between these worlds. In their computer models, Newton and his apple
collaborate with Schrödinger and his cat.
Quantum chemistry collaborating with classical physics
The collaboration was born in Martin Karplus’ laboratory at Harvard University in Cambridge, USA, in the
early 1970s. Karplus and his research group developed computer programs that could simulate chemical
reactions with the help of quantum physics. He had also developed the “Karplus equation” used in nuclear
magnetic resonance (NMR) – a method well-known to chemists that builds on the quantum chemical properties
of molecules. In 1970, Arieh Warshel arrived at Karplus’ laboratory after finishing his PhD at the Weizmann
Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel.
The institute had a powerful computer with whose help Arieh Warshel and Michael Levitt had developed a
ground-breaking computer program based on classical theories. The program enabled modelling of all kinds of
molecules, even really large ones.
When Arieh Warshel joined Martin Karplus at Harvard, he brought his classical computer program with him.
Using that, he and Karplus began developing a new program that performed different kinds of calculations on
different electrons.
In most molecules each electron orbits a particular atomic nucleus. In some molecules, certain electrons can
move unhindered between several atomic nuclei. Such “free electrons” can be found, for instance, in retinal, a
molecule embedded in the retina of the eye. When light hits the retina, the free electrons in retinal are filled with
energy, altering the shape of the molecule. This is the first stage of human vision.
Eventually, Karplus and Warshel developed a computer program that drew on quantum physics when it
performed calculations on free electrons, and applied simpler classical theories for all other electrons and atomic
nuclei. In 1972, they published their ground-breaking results. This was the first time anyone had managed to
bring about a chemically relevant collaboration between classical and quantum physics. But the program had
one limitation: it could only handle molecules with mirror symmetry.
After two years at Harvard, Arieh Warshel reunited with Michael Levitt, who had finished his doctoral training
at Cambridge University, UK. He had used his classical computer program to gain a better understanding of
what biological molecules looked like. However, it could only examine molecules in a state of rest.
Levitt and Warshel wanted to develop a program that could be used to study enzymes; proteins that govern and
simplify chemical reactions in living organisms. It is the cooperation between enzymes that makes life possible.
In order to be able to simulate enzymatic reactions, Levitt and Warshel were required to make classical and
quantum physics collaborate more smoothly. It took them several years to overcome all obstacles.
In 1976, they reached their goal and published the first computerized model of an enzymatic reaction. Their
program was revolutionary because it could be used for any kind of molecule. Size was no longer an issue.
When chemists model chemical processes today, they perform demanding quantum physical calculations on
electrons and atomic nuclei that directly impact the chemical process. The other parts of the molecules are
modelled using classical equations.
To make things more efficient, Levitt and Warshel have showed that it is possible to merge several atoms during
calculations. In modern calculations, scientists add a third layer to the simulation. They bundle atoms and
molecules into a single homogenous mass called a dielectric medium.
Scientists these days can use computers to carry out experiments to yield a much deeper understanding of how
chemical processes play out. The strength of the methods that the Laureates developed is that they are universal.
Progress will not stop here. In one of his publications, Levitt writes about one of his dreams: to simulate a living
organism on a molecular level – a tantalizing thought.
( Edited excerpts from Nobelprize.org )