1. India, China home to 39% of young Internet users.
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According to recently released report-ICT Facts and Figures 2017, India and China are home to 39% of the 830 million young people worldwide who use the Internet. The report was released by International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations specialised agency for Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs).
Key Highlights of Report
Great strides are being made in expanding Internet access through the increased availability of broadband networks. Digital connectivity plays a critical role in bettering lives, as it opens the door to unprecedented knowledge, financial and employment opportunities for billions of people worldwide There has been significant increase in broadband access and subscriptions, with China leading the way. Youths (15-24 years old) are at the forefront of Internet adoption.
Least Developed Countries (LDCs): Up to 35% of individuals in LDCs are using the Internet are aged 15-24, compared with 13% in developed countries and and 23% globally. LDCs saw the highest growth-rate of mobile broadband subscriptions between 2012 and 2017. Despite this, the number of mobile subscriptions per 100 inhabitants in LDCs is the lowest globally at 23%.
Fixed-broadband subscriptions: It has increased by 9% annually in the last five years with up to 330 million subscriptions added. There has been an increase in high-speed fixed broadband subscriptions parallel to the growth in the number of fibre connections. Most of these subscriptions were in developing countries accounting for 80 % of all fixed-broadband subscriptions.
Mobile broadband subscriptions: It has grown more than 20% annually in the last five years and is expected to reach 4.3 billion globally by the end of 2017.
Internet user gender gap: It has narrowed in most regions since 2013. The proportion of men using the Internet remains slightly higher than the proportion of men using the Internet remains slightly higher than the proportion of women using the Internet in two-thirds of countries worldwide. In 2017, the global Internet penetration rate for men stands at 50.9% compared to 44.9% for women.
International Internet bandwidth: It grew by 32% between 2015 and 2016, with Africa registering an increase of 72% during this period, the highest of all regions.
Global telecommunication revenues: It declined by 4% from US $2.0 trillion in 2014 to $1.9 trillion in 2015. Developing countries, which are home to 83% of the global population, generate 39% of the world’s telecommunication revenues.
2. Chemical from turmeric treats cancer in children.
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Scientists from United States have found that curcumin, the bioactive component of turmeric that is widely used in Indian cuisine can treat cancer in children.
They have found that nanoparticles loaded with curcumin can target and destroy neuroblastoma tumour cells, which commonly affects children aged five or less.
In their study, scientist had attached curcumin to cerium oxide nanoparticles and tested the formulation in cell lines of a high-risk form of neuroblastoma. It was found that curcumin-cerium formulation induced substantial cell death in neuroblastoma cells while producing no or only minor toxicity in healthy cells.
Significance: The study demonstrates cancer treatment method without the toxicity of agressive therapy. It also shows that nanoparticles can be an effective delivery vehicle for cancer drugs. The use of cerium oxide nanoparticles also help to remove curcumin’s low solubility and poor stability which had earlier restricted its use in therapeutic applications.
Neuroblastoma (NB)
NB is a type of cancer that forms in certain types of nerve tissue. It most frequently starts from one of the adrenal glands normally near the kidneys. But it can also develop in the neck, abdomen, chest or spine. Its symptoms may include bone pain, lump in the abdomen, neck or chest, or painless bluish lump under the skin. It is mostly resistant to anti-cancer drugs, and is known to cause health problems, such as hearing loss and disabilities, even after successful treatment.
3. Israel launches first environmental research satellite Venus.
Israel has launched its first environmental research satellite named as Venus (Vegetation and Environment Monitoring New Micro-Satellite). It is a joint venture between the Israel Space Agency (ISA) and its French counterpart CNES.
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It was launched on board of Arianespace Vega launcher from the European spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.
The Venus satellite is an earth-observation micro-satellite. It is considered the smallest satellite of its kind in the world. It weighs only 265 kilogram. It will be placed in sun-synchronized orbit at an altitude of 720 kilometers.
It will circle the earth 29 times in each 48-hour period and will stay in commission for 4.5 years. The mini-satellite is equipped with a special camera that can visualize details on Earth that are not visible to the naked eye.
Venus Satellite has a dual mission-scientific and technological. The scientific mission will monitor Earth’s vegetation using a camera capable of recording 12 narrow spectral bands. The technological mission will test the operation of an innovative electric propulsion system based on the Israeli-designed Hall Effect Thrusters (HET). HET is a relatively low power device used to propel a spacecraft after entering orbit or farther out into space.
Applications: Venus satellite will be used to survey and monitor large areas to study soil, vegetation, forests, agriculture, water and air quality and other aspects of the environment.
It will help to obtain high-resolution photographs of specific sites to track environmental issues such as erosion, desertification, pollution, natural disasters, and other phenomena linked to climate change.
4. ISRO, NASA working towards realisation of NISAR Mission by 2021.
ISRO and NASA are jointly working on the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission to co-develop and launch a dual frequency synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite by 2021.
The satellite will be the world’s most expensive earth-imaging satellite till date, costing around $1.5 billion. It aims to study global environmental change and natural disasters.Salient Features
NISAR is a dual frequency (L & S Band) Radar Imaging Satellite. It will be the first radar imaging satellite to use dual frequency.
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In this joint mission, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JLP) will be responsible for design and development of L-band SAR, GPS system, 12m unfurlable antenna and data recorder.ISRO will be responsible for design and development of S-band SAR, Spacecraft Bus,data transmission system, spacecraft integration & testing, launch using GSLV and on-orbit operations.
Mission Life: It is expected to be launched in year 2021. It will have mission life of 3 years.
Operational orbit: The satellite is planned to be launched into a Sun-synchronous dawn to dusk orbit.
Applications: It will provide an unprecedented detailed view of Earth by taking snapshots every week using advanced radar imaging.
It is designed to observe and take measurements of some of the planet’s most complex processes, including ecosystem disturbances, natural hazards such as earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes and landslides.It will be used also for natural resources mapping & monitoring, estimating agricultural biomass over full duration of crop cycle.
It will be also monitor floods and oil slicks, coastal erosion, coastline changes and variation of winds in coastal waters, surface deformation studies due to seismic activities etc.
Implementation Process: Implementation Arrangement (IA) of mission, defining roles and responsibilities of ISRO and NASA was signed between two space agencies in September 2014.So far, ISRO has completed Baseline Design Reviews of satellite and S-band SAR payload. NASA’s JLP has successfully completed Mission Concept and Key Decision Point reviews. The first Joint Steering Group (JSG) meeting of NISAR was held in July 2015.
Cost of the project: Costing around $1.5 billion, it will be world’s most expensive earth-imaging satellite till date.
Space Diplomacy: The mission will establish a general pathway for future joint missions between ISRO and NASA for Mars exploration. It will also further strengthen the Indo-US ties.