GAGAN is expected to replace the GPS receivers and provide data integrity.

          

What is the origin of the name ‘GAGAN’?

As you are aware GPS meets most of the navigation requirements of users. However, to improve the performance and integrity of the GPS system and to meet civil aviation requirements, the basic GPS system is to be augmented by GEO satellite with corrections and confi dences. Hence, the name GAGAN which is an acronym for GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation System was chosen. Gagan is a Hindi word of Sanskrit origin for the sky and aptly suits the project.

We are expected to have a certified GAGAN by 2013. How close are we to this?

With the completion of installation, integration and testing of all ground elements, the major requirements of facility certifi cation has been completed. The integration of GEO satellites with the ground elements and other aspects related to certifi cations have been taken up. The system is expected to be certifi ed by the 3rd quarter of 2013. The GAGAN will be certifi ed by DGCA to provide NPA (Non Precision Approach) services of RNP-0.1over Indian FIR (Flight Information Region) and PA (Precision Approach) service of APV- 1.0/APV-1.5 over Indian landmass.
 

What are the user segments going to be benefitted by GAGAN?

Even though GAGAN is being developed primarily for civil aviation applications over Indian region, it is expected to provide enhanced service level to the user segments like, Agriculture, Emergency response, Business solutions, Geographical data collection, Natural resources, Land management, Scientifi c research, Geodynamics ,Urban Mapping, Unmanned vehicles, Vehicle tracking, Air navigation, Car navigation, Maritime applications, Search And Rescue Operations, GIS, Timing applications, Canal Transit Management, etc In short, it is expected to replace the GPS receivers and provide data integrity. Also, GAGAN will aid the DGPS users with minimum change, risk and cost.

What is the reach of GAGAN going to be and how other countries will be able to utilize its services?

The GAGAN system intends to deploy and certify an operational Satellite Based Augmentation System (SBAS) for the Indian Flight Information Region (FIR), with expansion capability to neighboring FIRs. When commissioned for service, GAGAN will provide a civil aeronautical navigation signal consistent with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Standards and Recommended Practices (SARP) as established by the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Panel. The neighboring countries can utilize GAGAN system by having reference stations within their country. As the GAGAN GEO foot print extends from Middle East Asia to Australia, the augmentation can be provided over this region using GAGAN system. GAGAN will bridge the gap between Europe (served by EGNOS) and Japan (served by MSAS).

What is the role of private sector in the development of GAGAN?

Navigation projects have created awareness among the Public Sector Undertaking and Indian industries and they have been contributing to GAGAN projects. To name a few, ECIL (Electronics Corporation of India Limited) was responsible for designing and development of 11 meter antennae installed at INLUS (Indian Land Uplink Station). Accord Software is developing GAGAN and IRNSS receivers. Software development of INLUS RFU (Radio Frequency Unit) systems will require the participation of software companies capable of developing DO-178B compliant software. Many other industries are involved in various subsystems of Navigation projects. Even though the Indian private sector participation is limited in the development of GAGAN, there is tremendous scope for the industry to develop user segment equipments for the GAGAN system. The industries need to come up innovative solution to meet diverse user positioning and timing requirements. Also, hand in hand there is a need to develop applications suiting Indian conditions and requirements using GAGAN signals especially in the areas of survey, intelligent transportation systems, location based systems, disaster management, maritime etc.

What are your plans to create awareness among prospective users of GAGAN?

GNSS user meet is planned to be jointly organized by ISRO and AAI on February 23rd 2012 at ISRO Satellite Centre, Bangalore. This will be a platform where all the parties involved in Navigation will interact and prospective users will greatly benefit. The plan is to conduct such meets at regular intervals to ensure that the benefit of GAGAN utilization is maximized.

How interoperable is GAGAN going to be with other SBAS systems?

The functional performance of GAGAN will meet the accuracy, integrity, continuity and availability requirements specified for aviation by ICAO. The system will be inter-operable with other international SBAS systems like US-WAAS, European EGNOS, and Japanese MSAS etc and provide seamless air navigation across regional boundaries utilizing same signal frequency.

Interference and jamming with satellite signals are becoming major threats. How serious such threats are in the context of GAGAN?

The threat to GAGAN signals is similar in nature to any other GNSS system.

The e-cigarette is meant to mimic the experience

What you need to know about e-cigarettes

As tobacco use continues its inexorable fall from grace, a growing number of people are turning to electronic cigarettes. These nifty electrical inhalers are being seen — and sometimes even marketed — as a "healthier" alternative to smoking tobacco. But are they really a viable alternative to cigarettes, or just a passing fad? What is it like to smoke one? And are they really safer than conventional cigarettes? Here's what you need to know about the e-cigarette.

What is it?

The e-cigarette is meant to mimic the experience of smoking a real one. It looks like a conventional cigarette, and is used in nearly the exact same way — less the fire and smoke. In fact, the experience is so true to traditional smoking that some consider it a viable cessation therapy.

Full size

Each e-cig is powered by a small lithium battery that atomizes a propylene glycol/nicotine solution. The substance that's being inhaled even looks like smoke, but it's a vapor similar to fog — albeit a nicotine drenched fog; the amount of nicotine it produces closely approximates what's found in a conventional cigarette. Starter kits range in price from $40 to $100, and the liquid refills costs about $25 each — what's the equivalent of five packs of cigarettes. Some models even allow for recharging through the USB port of a computer.
Manufacturers say — much to the chagrin of federal regulators — that it's a much cleaner and safer way to inhale nicotine. And unlike cessation patches or gum, the experience is meant to be enjoyed, hence the assortment of flavors that have been made available, like menthol, chocolate and strawberry.
The technology was first conceived by American Herbert Gilbert in 1963, but its modern form took shape back in 2003 owing to the work of China's Hon Lik and his company, Golden Dragon Holding (which has since changed its name to Ruyan, meaning "like smoking"). Though once a lone player, the company now has plenty of rivals — all of whom are vying for space in a potentially lucrative market.

What's the experience like?

To get a better sense of what it's like to smoke an e-cigarette, we spoke to Jayar La Fontaine, a Toronto resident who took up the habit three months ago.
"I'm probably an atypical user of e-cigarettes," he told io9. "I was never a heavy user of tobacco in the first place — but I've always loved the effects of nicotine, what tends to sharpen my thinking." La Fontaine was exposed to e-cigarettes while attending Burning Man in 2011. There, he met a number of users who, like him, were not prior smokers.
For La Fontaine, the initial appeal of e-cigarettes had a lot to do with his asthma. "I would do some casual smoking, but it would make me feel absolutely awful afterward," he said. This was frustrating, as he enjoyed the social aspects — what he calls the "nicotine consumption ritual."
So, with the introduction of the e-cigarette, he felt that he didn't have to worry so much about the harsh toxic chemicals found in tobacco. "It's a safer delivery system for a social drug that I enjoy using every once in awhile," he said.
In terms of the experience itself, La Fontaine describes the effect as a bit muted and not as acute as when smoking traditional cigarettes. He also doesn't get a headrush or dizziness following inhalation.
"But it also doesn't irritate my lungs," he told us, "not the way that regular cigarettes do — though I occasionally feel a tingly sensation."
We asked him if he has any long term concerns about prolonged use. After a slight pause, La Fontaine admitted that he's curious to see what the long term studies will show. "I do have concerns about the overuse of nicotine because it does play with our reward system, he says. "I worry about its addictive qualities — and how it might be affecting my behavior."
And indeed, he's worried that a dependency has already started to take hold.
"I have to admit, even though it's been only three months, when I misplace my e-cigarette I immediately scramble to find out where I left it — and I don't leave home without it. It's something I'm starting to be increasingly aware of."

But is it safe?

As La Fontaine pointed out, there simply isn't enough information yet to prove safety. This has sparked a firestorm of criticism against its use, and even some outright bans.

Full size

As it stands, the sale of e-cigarettes is prohibited in Australia, Canada, Israel, and Hong Kong. Specifically, these products cannot be sold in a retail space, nor can they be marketed. And what's being controlled is not the e-cigarette device itself, but the e-liquid cartridges. Much of the criticism also has to do with claims being made by certain e-cig manufacturers, many of whom claim that it's a safer alternative. While they may eventually be proven right, federal regulators like the U.S. Food and Drug Administration accuse them of making unsubstantiated claims. And indeed, back in 2009 the FDA seized an inbound shipment from China on these very grounds.
Other concerns are that these products are being sold to children, and that there's a heightened chance of nicotine overdose given the ease with which it can be consumed. What's also not known is whether there's a threat to non-users from "second hand vapor."
As for its safety, preliminary tests by the FDA indicated that they do contain some dangerous cancer-causing chemicals, but at lower levels than regular cigarettes.
Actually, as Boston University School of Public Health professor Michael Siegel has pointed out, at much lower levels. Speaking to NPR he said, "It is comparable to what is present in nicotine-replacement products, which are on the market, and, in fact, if you look at the actual levels of the carcinogens in electronic cigarettes, they're about 1,400 times lower than in Marlboros."
Siegel would know. He was involved in a 2010 study published in the Journal of Public Health Policy which indicated that e-cigarettes were in fact safer than cigarettes:

Few, if any, chemicals at levels detected in electronic cigarettes raise serious health concerns. Although the existing research does not warrant a conclusion that electronic cigarettes are safe in absolute terms and further clinical studies are needed to comprehensively assess the safety of electronic cigarettes, a preponderance of the available evidence shows them to be much safer than tobacco cigarettes and comparable in toxicity to conventional nicotine replacement products.

Their survey reviewed 16 laboratory studies that identified the components in electronic cigarette liquid and vapor. The researchers found that carcinogen levels in electronic cigarettes are up to 1,000 times lower than in tobacco cigarettes. Siegel went on to claim that, "The truth is, we know a lot more about what is in electronic cigarettes than regular cigarettes."
At the same time, other studies are showing that e-cigarettes do in fact harm the lungs.
FDA Deputy Commissioner Joshua Sharfstein agrees with the concerns and says consumers should be wary — that it's premature to be jumping on the e-cig bandwagon.
"Some products, which are marketed as exactly the same, have wildly variable amounts of nicotine in them," he told NPR. "One of the products has a poison in it — that is diethylene glycol. And what that indicates is that we don't really know much at all about the way these things are produced."

A lesser evil?

Not surprisingly, tobacco companies are having a fit over e-cigarettes — what's a clear and present danger to their business.
"This is exactly what the tobacco companies have been afraid of all these years, an alternative method of delivering nicotine that is actually enjoyable," said David Sweanor when speaking to the LA Times. He's an adjunct law professor at the University of Ottawa who specializes in tobacco issues. "It took the Chinese, who are very entrepreneurial, and not burdened with all kinds of regulation, to take the risk."
All this said, it's a clear case of vapor-inhaler beware. Not only are the long term impacts of e-cigarette use extremely unclear, it's obvious that nicotine addiction is a necessary part of the equation. As La Fontaine admitted, while he does enjoy the benefits of nicotine, it's a potential problem, one that may already be impacting on his behavior.
Until more is known, it's probably best to exercise caution.

Electronic contact lens displays pixels on the eyes

            

The future of augmented-reality technology is here - as long as you're a rabbit. Bioengineers have placed the first contact lenses containing electronic displays into the eyes of rabbits as a first step on the way to proving they are safe for humans. The bunnies suffered no ill effects, the researchers say.  

The first version may only have one pixel, but higher resolution lens displays - like those seen in Terminator - could one day be used as satnav enhancers showing you directional arrows for example, or flash up texts and emails - perhaps even video. In the shorter term, the breakthrough also means people suffering from conditions like diabetes and glaucoma may find they have a novel way to monitor their conditions.

In February, New Scientist revealed the litany of research projects underway in the field of contact lens enhancement. While one company has fielded a contact lens technology using a surface-mounted strain gauge to assess glaucoma risk, none have built in a display, or the lenses needed for focused projection onto the retina - and then tested it in vivo. They have now.

"We have demonstrated the operation of a contact lens display powered by a remote radiofrequency transmitter in free space and on a live rabbit," says a US and Finnish team led by Babak Praviz of the University of Washington in Seattle.

"This verifies that antennas, radio chips, control circuitry, and micrometre-scale light sources can be integrated into a contact lens and operated on live eyes."

           I'll be back: Could electronic contact lenses give humans Terminator-like vision in the future? (Image: Solent News & Photo Agency/Rex Features)

The test lens was powered remotely using a 5-millimetre-long antenna printed on the lens to receive gigahertz-range radio-frequency energy from a transmitter placed ten centimetres from the rabbit's eye. To focus the light on the rabbit's retina, the contact lens itself was fabricated as a Fresnel lens - in which a series of concentric annular sections is used to generate the ultrashort focal length needed.

They found their lens LED glowed brightly up to a metre away from the radio source in free space, but needed to be 2 centimetres away when the lens was placed in a rabbit's eye and the wireless reception was affected by body fluids. All the 40-minute-long tests on live rabbits were performed under general anaesthetic and showed that the display worked well - and fluroescence tests showed no damage or abrasions to the rabbit's eyes after the lenses were removed.

While making a higher resolution display is next on their agenda, there are uses for this small one, say the researchers: "A display with a single controllable pixel could be used in gaming, training, or giving warnings to the hearing impaired."

"This is clearly way off in the future. But we're aware of the research that is ongoing in this field and we're watching the technology's potential for biosensing and drug delivery applications in particular," says a spokesperson for the British Contact Lens Association in London.

Smart carpet detects falls and strange footsteps

A team at the University of Manchester in the UK has developed a carpet that can detect when someone has fallen over or when unfamiliar feet walk across it.

Optical fibres in the carpet's underlay create a 2D pressure map that distorts when stepped on. Sensors around the carpet's edges then relay signals to a computer which is used to analyse the footstep patterns. When a change is detected - such as a sudden stumble and fall - an alarm can be set to sound.
By monitoring footsteps over time, the system can also learn people's walking patterns and watch out for subtle changes, such as a gradual favouring of one leg over the other. It could then be used to predict the onset of mobility problems in the elderly, for example.
The carpet could also be used as an intruder alert, says team member Patricia Scully. "In theory, we could identify footsteps of individuals and the shoes they are wearing," she says.
But it needn't all be about feet. The system is designed to be versatile, meaning that different sensors could instead be used to provide early warning of chemical spillages or fire.

Thermoelectric efficiency boost is good news for solar

For more than half a century, researchers have been trying to salvage the substantial amounts of waste heat lost in fossil fuel plants and combustion engines. Heat loss throws away 40 per cent of petrol energy through the car's exhaust, and two-thirds of coal energy from coal-fired power plants.
Their putative ability to mop up that lost energy has made thermoelectric materials a perpetual Cinderella technology. The materials use heat to create "free" electricity: current is generated when the temperature difference between the hot side (say, the exhaust) and the cool side (the ambient air) pushes electrons from one side of the material to the other.

 

 

         In practice, however, thermoelectric materials reclaim at best only 5 to 7 per cent of the lost energy. Their efficiency - a material's ability to generate electricity for a given amount of thermal energy - is reflected in a figure called its ZT. For 50 years, researchers have struggled to push that number past 1.
The most straightforward approach is to coax a material to conduct electricity, while preventing the heat from migrating (because efficiency depends on preserving the difference between the material's hot and cold sides). That means decoupling electrons from phonons - a phonon is to heat transfer what an electron is to electricity. Essentially, a phonon is a quasiparticle that can be functionally thought of the vibrations that carry thermal energy.

                In other words, let the electrons flow while stopping the phonons in their tracks. But they have been difficult to decouple. So thermoelectrics been relegated to applications of last resort, such as in space, where the small amount of energy they reclaim is worth the cost of the expensive materials.
                Then, last week, researchers at Northwestern University, in Evanston, Illinois, published a paper in Nature which indicates that they've kicked the ZT from 1 to 2.2. They did it by disturbing the flow of three different wavelengths of the phonons, which allowed the electrons to pass while trapping the phonons in layers, which they compared to a Russian doll. Pushing the ZT to 2.2 bumped the overall efficiency up to 20 per cent.
                 Their work has tantalising implications for a far more consumer-friendly application: solar panels. Normally these can only metabolise the photons from the high-frequency part of the electromagnetic spectrum, meaning most of the sun's rays are lost as waste heat.
Use thermoelectric materials to harness the entire spectrum and your solar panel will get whopping good efficiencies. Charles Stafford, who works on materials that can disrupt phonon flow at the University of Arizona in Tucson, calls the new research "very exciting work".

 

Role of youth in nation building?

 <sup>A country where all citizens, young and old, are informed about and engaged in all major issues that affect their lives. A place where adults and young people are together at the table; debating, grappling with problems, crafting solutions and jointly deciding on how resources should be allocated. A robust democracy where all people, including youth, exercise their right to select those who should speak and act on their behalf and hold them accountable. Where young people have an equal opportunity to have a sustainable livelihood. Imagine adults and young people working together to build a thriving a society from the ground up contributing to nation building from the community level up to the national level.
Herein lies the power behind the potential role of youth as nation builders through political participation. The term nation building is used here to refer to a constructive process of engaging all citizens in building social cohesion, economic prosperity and political stability in an inclusive and democratic way. It is a process through which all people have access to and control of structures and mechanisms that govern their lives. Admittedly, the vision sounds unattainable and lofty for two reasons. 1) few societies have found adequate ways to ensure that all adults fully participate in the political process, 2) even fewer have found adequate ways to ensure that young people share in the burdens and benefits of citizenship.

There are three frequently cited reasons for why young people are excluded from political participation.
1) Young people are perceived as lacking the skills and qualities
2) young people are not afforded the opportunities to share power with adults, and
3) young people are portrayed as lacking the motivation

Young people are often viewed as lacking the skills needed to become part of the political process. These perceptions are often backed by popular theories on childhood development and adolescence, many of which define youth as social group that is in the stage of becoming adults .
Young people are the last group we are allowed to systematically exclude.
young people are not afforded the opportunities to share power with adults in part because they are viewed as lacking the requisite skills. Consequently, they are not invited to the table. The very idea of youth citizenship young people participating as equals is a stretch for many adults. The irony is, however, that once at the table, young people are often viewed as a threat to adult power. Rather than work with young people to build the skills, adults either abdicate power or work to control it. This tendency to exclude young people has been well-substantiated in international
Therefore youthfulness has become a major justification for excluding young people from decision making. It is also important to emphasize that these ideas are also present all major social institutions; from the family, the school, the community; religious institutions etc. It is not a surprise that there are not expectations, and processes that facilitate the political participation of young people within their communities as well as at the national level.

One of the more frequently used justifications excluding young people is the entrenched myth of youth apathy - young people are frequently portrayed as lacking motivation to become involved. This myth is captured most aptly in the media hype about Generation X syndrome which describes young people as a socially inert, self-absorbed group with little or no interest in the political process.

However, recent research reveals that young people are far from apathetic. It is true that many young Americans over 18 do not vote or show interest in the conventional modes of political expression via political parties. Yet young people are showing great interest in political issues and are constantly searching for different ways of expressing themselves.
It would be a grave mistake to assume that youth do not participation in the political process at all. There are innumerable activities that seek to mobilize young people politically in neighborhoods and cities across the nation - activities initiated by young people and some initiated and supported by adults committed to youth empowerment. These initiatives cover a very broad spectrum. Examples include: organizing young people in their communities; educating young people to use the democratic process; advocating for and training young people to be part of governance structures of civil society organizations and through local government; monitoring and advocating for changes in the legislation at city and state level and many other such areas. These initiatives are unique because young people play a central role in the determination and execution of strategies.

Many agree that this rich tapestry of localized youth action holds the promise of expanding the possibility for young people as equal and active stakeholders in the political process. However, such initiatives tend to be limited to the micro level and rarely transcend the neighborhood and city level.
The idea of tackling this subject arose at the International Development Conference: Global Meeting of Generations held in Washington DC in January 1999. At this forum, young people from across the world grappled with the role young people should play in the governance process of their societies as well as international bodies such as the United Nations.

In our today s youth forum we bring you a very critical topic on the role of youth in nation building.
The term - nation building - is usually used to refer to a constructive process of engaging all citizens in building social cohesion, economic prosperity and political stability in an inclusive and democratic way. It is important to note that the priceless resource of any country is its human resource. There is no other resource that matches the human being, because mankind is the foundation or the corner stone of any development and civilization. Out of the human intellect a nation is built. This can be confirmed by the fact that many countries are able to attain steady growth and development with limited natural resources through the intelligence of their people and the labour force. Young people are a crucial segment of a nation s development. Their contribution therefore is highly needed. Young people are social actors of change and as the saying goes "youth are not only the leaders of tomorrow, but also the partners of today.
As scholars have stated, "time is not evaluated by what has been harvested, but what has been planted". The government and society at large have equal responsibility to provide the youth with suitable grounds and thereby bringing about a matured and responsible population for the coming generation to lead a better life. As such the establishment of the a Department of State for Youth, the development of a comprehensive National Youth Policy, the establishment of National Youth Service Scheme,

Meanwhile, it is good to have these structures in place but if the youths do not make the best use of them no beneficial result will be realized. As young people we must be ready and willing to take advantage of any opportunity that comes our way. It s important to note that we can t all work in offices, therefore some of us would have to train ourselves to be welders, plumbers, electricians, carpenters, craftsmen, farmers and so on. It s wise to note that traveling to Europe does not serve as a solution for youths as others might take it for granted. Much more by illegal means, which has made this country, lost a lot of able-bodied men over the past few years.As the rain season is fast approaching, the youth should embrace and adhere to the call made by the Gambian leader for youths to go back to the land as agriculture is the backbone of the country s economy. It is interesting to know that the issue of migration, both within and outside the country, has also had a negative impact on the country s agricultural productivity. The rural urban migration and the seeking for pasture to the European countries through fatal means has had had a serious implication on the agricultural sector and the country s economy. No foreign aid would develop this country for us; we must therefore work to develop our nati
A country where all citizens, young and old, are informed about and engaged in all major issues that affect their lives. A place where adults and young people are together at the table; debating, grappling with problems, crafting solutions and jointly deciding on how resources should be allocated. A robust democracy where all people, including youth, exercise their right to select those who should speak and act on their behalf and hold them accountable. Where young people have an equal opportunity to have a sustainable livelihood. Imagine adults and young people working together to build a thriving a society from the ground up - contributing to nation building from the community level up to the national level.
Herein lies the power behind the potential role of youth as nation builders through political participation. The term nation building is used here to refer to a constructive process of engaging all citizens in building social cohesion, economic prosperity and political stability in an inclusive and democratic way. It is a process through which all people have access to and control of structures and mechanisms that govern their lives. Admittedly, the vision sounds unattainable and lofty for two reasons. 1) few societies have found adequate ways to ensure that all adults fully participate in the political process, 2) even fewer have found adequate ways to ensure that young people share in the burdens and benefits of citizenship.

There are three frequently cited reasons for why young people are excluded from political participation.
1) Young people are perceived as lacking the skills and qualities
2) young people are not afforded the opportunities to share power with adults, and
3) young people are portrayed as lacking the motivation

Young people are often viewed as lacking the skills needed to become part of the political process. These perceptions are often backed by popular theories on childhood development and adolescence, many of which define youth as social group that is in the 'stage of becoming adults".
"Young people are the last group we are allowed to systematically exclude."
young people are not afforded the opportunities to share power with adults in part because they are viewed as lacking the requisite skills. Consequently, they are not invited to the table. The very idea of "youth citizenship" - young people participating as equals - is a stretch for many adults. The irony is, however, that once at the table, young people are often viewed as a threat to adult power. Rather than work with young people to build the skills, adults either abdicate power or work to control it. This tendency to exclude young people has been well-substantiated in international
Therefore 'youthfulness' has become a major justification for excluding young people from decision making. It is also important to emphasize that these ideas are also present all major social institutions; from the family, the school, the community; religious institutions etc. It is not a surprise that there are not expectations, and processes that facilitate the political participation of young people within their communities as well as at the national level.

One of the more frequently used justifications excluding young people is the entrenched myth of youth apathy - young people are frequently portrayed as lacking motivation to become involved. This myth is captured most aptly in the media hype about Generation X syndrome which describes young people as a socially inert, self-absorbed group with little or no interest in the political process.

However, recent research reveals that young people are far from apathetic. It is true that many young Americans over 18 do not vote or show interest in the conventional modes of political expression via political parties. Yet young people are showing great interest in political issues and are constantly searching for different ways of expressing themselves.
It would be a grave mistake to assume that youth do not participation in the political process at all. There are innumerable activities that seek to mobilize young people politically in neighborhoods and cities across the nation - activities initiated by young people and some initiated and supported by adults committed to youth empowerment. These initiatives cover a very broad spectrum. Examples include: organizing young people in their communities; educating young people to use the democratic process; advocating for and training young people to be part of governance structures of civil society organizations and through local government; monitoring and advocating for changes in the legislation at city and state level and many other such areas. These initiatives are unique because young people play a central role in the determination and execution of strategies.

Many agree that this rich tapestry of localized youth action holds the promise of expanding the possibility for young people as equal and active stakeholders in the political process. However, such initiatives tend to be limited to the micro level and rarely transcend the neighborhood and city level.
The idea of tackling this subject arose at the International Development Conference: Global Meeting of Generations held in Washington DC in January 1999. At this forum, young people from across the world grappled with the role young people should play in the governance process of their societies as well as international bodies such as the United Nations.

In our today's youth forum we bring you a very critical topic on the role of youth in nation building.
The term - nation building - is usually used to refer to a constructive process of engaging all citizens in building social cohesion, economic prosperity and political stability in an inclusive and democratic way. It is important to note that the priceless resource of any country is its human resource. There is no other resource that matches the human being, because mankind is the foundation or the corner stone of any development and civilization. Out of the human intellect a nation is built. This can be confirmed by the fact that many countries are able to attain steady growth and development with limited natural resources through the intelligence of their people and the labour force. Young people are a crucial segment of a nation's development. Their contribution therefore is highly needed. Young people are social actors of change and as the saying goes "youth are not only the leaders of tomorrow, but also the partners of today. ''
As scholars have stated, "time is not evaluated by what has been harvested, but what has been planted". The government and society at large have equal responsibility to provide the youth with suitable grounds and thereby bringing about a matured and responsible population for the coming generation to lead a better life. As such the establishment of the a Department of State for Youth, the development of a comprehensive National Youth Policy, the establishment of National Youth Service Scheme,

Meanwhile, it is good to have these structures in place but if the youths do not make the best use of them no beneficial result will be realized. As young people we must be ready and willing to take advantage of any opportunity that comes our way. It's important to note that we can't all work in offices, therefore some of us would have to train ourselves to be welders, plumbers, electricians, carpenters, craftsmen, farmers and so on. It's wise to note that traveling to Europe does not serve as a solution for youths as others might take it for granted. Much more by illegal means, which has made this country, lost a lot of able-bodied men over the past few years.As the rain season is fast approaching, the youth should embrace and adhere to the call made by the Gambian leader for youths to go back to the land as agriculture is the backbone of the country's economy. It is interesting to know that the issue of migration, both within and outside the country, has also had a negative impact on the country's agricultural productivity. The rural urban migration and the seeking for pasture to the European countries through fatal means has had had a serious implication on the agricultural sector and the country's economy. No foreign aid would develop this country for us; we must therefore work to develop our nation and ourselves by engaging in the production sector of our economy like agriculture. I must therefore stressed that if this country is to develop, then the youth must go back to the land.</sup>

 Meanwhile, it is good to have these structures in place but if the youths do not make the best use of them no beneficial result will be realized. As young people we must be ready and willing to take advantage of any opportunity that comes our way. It s important to note that we can t all work in offices, therefore some of us would have to train ourselves to be welders, plumbers, electricians, carpenters, craftsmen, farmers and so on. It s wise to note that traveling to Europe does not serve as a solution for youths as others might take it for granted. Much more by illegal means, which has made this country, lost a lot of able-bodied men over the past few years.As the rain season is fast approaching, the youth should embrace and adhere to the call made by the Gambian leader for youths to go back to the land as agriculture is the backbone of the country s economy. It is interesting to know that the issue of migration, both within and outside the country, has also had a negative impact on the country s agricultural productivity. The rural urban migration and the seeking for pasture to the European countries through fatal means has had had a serious implication on the agricultural sector and the country s economy. No foreign aid would develop this country for us; we must therefore work to develop our nation

An edible electronic(Digital health)sensor might be the first step to regulating your medication patterns.

  Edible sensors might be the first step to regulating  your  medication patterns.


 


 



If you perpetually forget to take your medicine, these new FDA-approved edible sensors might be the first step to regulating your medication patterns.
            When you hear the term electronic pills, you might be imagining some sort of hardwired chips that you’re supposed to unwillingly ingest. This isn’t quite the case. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration passed an edible electronic sensor on Monday that will be used to keep track of a patient’s medication patterns to ensure they are regularly taking their meds.
Proteus Digital Health, Inc. has developed a tiny, digestible sensor that aims to transmit data to an online app to help improve a patient’s health habits and patterns. These sensors can be integrated into any medically ingested products.
           Once the pill is consumed and the sensor reaches the patient’s stomach fluids, data transmission is activated to determine the time of ingestion straight onto an external app. Patients will have to wear a patch on their skin to receive the data while the patch will also calculate heart rate, body position, and physical activity. This information can be relayed to the patient’s doctor or caretaker to evaluate his or her health patterns to help them make better health choices.
 
           The technology makes sense considering many people often forget to take their pills, especially if some are required to be taken at a certain time of day. It’s also a good reminder for those who might have forgotten whether they have taken their dose for the day or not.
“This device could be a solution to that problem, so that doctors can know when to rev up a patient’s medication adherence,” said Dr. Eric Topol, director of the Scripps Translational Science Institute. “It’s like big brother watching you take your medicine.”
For those who are avert to the idea of eating microchips, you might be happy to know the sensors are made of silicon, magnesium, and copper so once the pill has been consumed and broken down, you actually earn a bit of minerals in your body.
           “The FDA validation represents a major milestone in digital medicine,” said Topol. “Directly digitizing pills, for the first time, in conjunction with our wireless infrastructure, may prove to be the new standard for influencing medication adherence and significantly aid chronic disease management.”
We could only wonder how long it will take before such integration will come to regular food products? If incorporated into healthy foods, such as fruits and vegetables, perhaps parents can keep track of whether or not their children are eating their greens and ingesting them properly. The ability to track nutrition breakdown via an edible sensor might also help us regulate food intake without the need to take blood tests to identify malnourished nutrients and minerals.
 

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B3kPXnhRr2K5aFhnNi1xZG1uQjQ

The Atoms Family presented by famous gothic horror characters

Welcome to The Atoms Family, a Science Learning Network resource based on The Atoms Family exhibit at the Miami Science Museum. This resource contains educational activities relating to different forms of energy, and are being presented by famous gothic horror characters. In order to experience the full capabilities of this site,       The Mummy's Tomb Learn about energy conservation, kinetic, and potential energy. The Phantom's Portrait Parlor Learn about the principles of atoms and matter. Dracula's Library Learn about the properties of light, waves, and particles. The Wolf Man's Ghostly Graveyard Learn about fuel conservation and energy transfer. Frankenstein's Lightning Laboratory Learn about different forms of electricity and electrical safety. Navigating this Site Learn how to explore the resources of this site. Building a Better Pyramid Grades 4-8 Cooling the Mummy's Tomb Grades 4-8 Raceways Grades 5-8                                                        (A) Insulation is used to conserve energy inside buildings by reducing temperature changes. Help build a better pyramid by insulating the pyramid below. You'll notice that adding insulation to the pyramid will decrease the energy needed to cool it. What happens when you add more layers of insulation? How many layers of insulation would be the most efficient and why?

Layers of Insulation Temperature Outside the Pyramid 110°F

                                              (B)
                                                       

The Pharaoh has asked your help to design a better tomb. Seems he's concerned about the Sun's heat having less than positive effects on his body during his stay in the Hall of Judgment. You have decided to see if insulation, materials that restrict the flow of heat, will help keep the tomb cool. But the Pharaoh is stingy. Before any changes are made to the tomb, he wants to be certain that he's not wasting his precious gold to buy insulation that's not needed.

6 Styrofoam cups and 3 lids 3 thermometers water ice 1000 ml beaker

1. Make a prediction – which cup will stay cool longest? 2. Mix 500 ml of water with enough ice to lower the temperature to 10°C (about 200 ml of ice). 3. Make a hole in the cup lids so that you can put a thermometer in the cup and still read it without removing it from the water. (Why do you think this is important?) 4. Place one cup inside another cup so you have a double insulated cup (Cup 2). Repeat the process and construct a triple insulated cup (Cup 3). Cup one is just that--one cup! 5. Carefully measure and add 150 ml of the COLD water to each set-up. Put the lids on the cups and carefully slide the thermometers into the cold water. Record the temperature of the water right away. 6. Wait one minute, and then record the new temperature in each set of cups. Record the data in your laboratory notebook. It might help if you arranged the time and temperature in a table. 7. Continue recording data every five minutes for 20 minutes or until the water temperature is about equal to air temperature. 8. Calculate and record the change in temperature for each set-up.

Study your data and decide which set-up kept the water cool the longest. Was there a big difference between set-up 1 and 2? Between 1 and 3? Between 2 and 3?

What are you going to recommend to the Pharaoh? How is home insulation like the foam cups you used in the experiment? (Hint: Is there such a thing as too much insulation?)                                    (C) The Mummy is building a roller coaster to entertain the Atom's Family monsters and needs your help with the concepts of Kinetic and Potential energy. Help the Mummy by making a model roller coaster. two chairs masking tape yard sticks 3 shooter marbles one 8-foot strip of vinyl ceiling molding 1. Place the chairs back to back, but about 3 feet apart. 2. Tape the ends of the track to the chairs so that the center hangs down to the floor like the letter U. Use masking tape to secure the bottom of the track to the floor. 3. Place a marble on one end of the track and let it roll down. How many times did the marble travel back and forth before it stopped in the middle? This activity illustrates potential and kinetic energy. Where was the marble when it had the most potential energy? Where was it when it had the most kinetic energy? 4. Other possible discovery experiments: Measure the highest point each time the marble rolls up the track. Keep a chart of each measurement. Why doesn't the marble rise as far up? Can you find the amount of energy that is lost on each trip? What will happen when one marble is at rest on the track and another is dropped on the track? What if two marbles are on the track? Scientists define energy as the ability to do work, that is to make things move or to make new chemical compounds. Work is done when a force (a push or a pull) acts on something for a distance. Mechanical energy is the most common type of energy that we see around us. All moving objects have a type of mechanical energy called kinetic energy. When they move, they can lose energy to friction which creates heat and noise. Or the kinetic energy can be stored up as potential energy. Potential energy is the energy that a substance or object has because of its condition (e.g., the chemical potential energy of gasoline) or position (e.g., the gravitational potential energy of a car on a hill). Potential energy can be changed into kinetic energy, which can be changed back into potential energy. For example, a car's engine changes the chemical potential energy of gasoline into the kinetic energy of its speed along the highway. When the car coasts up a hill, it changes the kinetic energy into gravitational potential energy. This activity shows how energy can change from potential to kinetic and back again. When the marble is at the top of the track, it has more potential energy than when it is at the bottom. As it goes down the track, it moves faster and faster (it accelerates) due to the pull of gravity. This changes the potential energy into kinetic energy. At the bottom of the track, the marble is going the fastest and has the most kinetic energy. As it climbs back up, gravity slows it down and the kinetic energy is changed back into potential energy. Choose a material from the buttons below and then click on different parts of the thermometer. Observe how the element or molecule changes phases at different temperatures in the chamber. What happens to the elements or molecules as the temperature changes? The Phantom has provided you with a simulated spectroscope of an Atom! Amuse the Phantom by observing the spectroscope below and you'll learn more about the Atom. Observe the above simulated spectroscope of an atom. Watch how the single electron (yellow) is spinning around the nucleus (red). Notice how much space is between the nucleus and the surrounding electron cloud. Even in a simple atom with only one electron, the electron moves in a random orbit, creating a cloud-like effect, as seen in this demonstration. Protons (found in the nucleus of an atom) and Electrons (spinning around the center of an atom) are electrically charged. Protons have a positive charge, and electrons have a negative charge. Neutrons have no electrical charge, and are therefore neutral. Particles which have opposite electrical charges are attracted to each other, causing the particles of the atom to stay together. Electrons are said to orbit around the larger nucleus of the atom. Sometimes these orbits are not circular but irregular in shape due to the electron pull towards the nucleus of the atom and against the other elements. Scientists sometimes refer to these energy levels as electron clouds. The Phantom wants to create life sized models of atoms, and he wants your help! Help the Phantom investigate the world of the very small by cutting a 28 centimeter strip of paper in half as many times as you can. If you can cut the strip of paper in half 31 times you will end up with a piece of paper the size of an atom. 1 strip of paper 28 centimeters long (11" inches) 1 pair of scissors Take your strip of paper and cut it into equal halves. Cut one of the remaining pieces of paper into equal halves. Continue to cut the strip into equal halves as many times as you can. Make all cuts parallel to the first one. When the width gets longer than the length, you may cut off the excess, but that does not count as a cut. How far did you get? Here are some comparisons to think about! Cut 1 14.0 cm 5.5" Child's hand, pockets Cut 2 7.0 cm 2.75" Fingers, ears, toes Cut 3 3.5 cm 1.38" Watch, mushroom, eye Cut 4 1.75 cm .69" Keyboard keys, rings, insects Cut 6 .44 cm .17" Poppy seeds Cut 8 1 mm .04" Thread. Congratulations if your still in! Cut 10 .25 mm .01" Still cutting? Most have quit by now Cut 12 .06 mm .002" Microscopic range, human hair Cut 14 .015 mm .006" Width of paper, microchip components Cut 18 1 micron .0004" Water purification openings, bacteria Cut 19 .5 micron .000018" Visible light waves Cut 24 .015 micron .0000006" Electron microscope range, membranes Cut 31 .0001 micron .0000000045" The size of an Atom! Is there anything smaller? Yes, the size of an atom nucleus would take about 41 cuts! Scientists use advanced technology to explore the world of electrons and quarks that are at least 9,000 times smaller than a nucleus. We can not see anything smaller than an atom with our eyes, even with the electron microscope. Physicists study much smaller things without seeing them directly. Is there an end to the quest for the smallest and most basic elements in our world? The search began with the Greeks and continues as scientists search for the Building Blocks of the universe. These things are far beyond the range of sensory perception but not beyond the range of human   understanding. You've learned that atoms are the building blocks of molecules and molecules are the building blocks of matter. The Phantom needs your help to construct a few molecules and, like a true scientist, he wants to make a few models of the molecules first. 4 miniature marshmallows (oxygen) 7 red gum drops (hydrogen) 7 green gum drops (chlorine) 2 yellow gum drops (sulfur) 25 toothpicks (covalent bonds) 1. Construct models of the following molecules: H2, HCl, H2O (Hint: attach the hydrogen at right angles to the oxygen) 2. Now construct models of these molecules: Cl2, H2S, Cl2 O and Cl2S 3. Classify the molecules as a gas, liquid or solid at room temperature. 4. Draw diagrams of each of the model molecules you have constructed. Check your diagram with the diagrams in the Handbook of Chemistry or other reference. When the chemical formula for a molecule or compound is written, it shows the number of each type of atom or element in the molecule. These numbers, called subscripts, are determined by the bonding between the atoms. In the models you constructed, the toothpicks represented the bonds between the atoms. In reality, some atoms give up electrons when compounds are formed and some gain electrons when they form compounds. Life is a chemical process! Indeed, chemicals are all around us and inside us. Create a table showing the chemical formula for each of the molecules you constructed, and identify a common use for that chemical. Don't be afraid to surf the web looking for answers. You might even find the Phantom out there looking for new molecules. Dracula has just finished building his radiometer rack to alert him when too much light is present. Since he's afraid of the light, he wants you to test it out for him. Aim the light (your mouse) at the radiometers below and observe how they react. Notice how the sails on the radiometers spin after the light is shining on them. A radiometer consists of a set of vanes, each shiny on one side and blackened on the other. When the light strikes the shiny surface, most of it is reflected away, but when it strikes the blackened surface, most of it is absorbed, raising the temperature of the surface. The vanes turn because the air near the blackened surface becomes hotter and exerts a greater pressure on it than on the shiny surface. Light has qualities of both waves and particles. These radiometers demonstrate the particle-like nature of light: when the photons of light strike the surface of the radiometer they transfer their energy and cause the sails to spin. Tell Dracula that everthing is working perfectly with his new light detection system! Dracula has lost his pet bat and needs your help finding him! Help Dracula find his bat by participating in the following activity. Black cardboard paper cutout of a bat Cardboard box lined with white cardboard paper on the inside Stare at the black bat for at least 30 seconds. Immediately stare at the inside of the white box. What did you see when you started staring at the white box? You should have seen a faint image of the black bat that you were staring at. This faint image is called an afterimage. The cause of the afterimage is thought to be an adaptation of the sensory mechanism to a repeated or uninterrupted stimulus. For example, strong odors that seem to disappear after a while or how you don't notice the feel of your clothes after you have been wearing them for a while. Your eyes respond in similar ways. The retina is located behind your eye and contains light detecting cells.By staring at the black bat you were stimulating some of these light detecting cells more than others. These cells became fatigued and less sensitive. This created an afterimage when you moved your eyes to the white box. Now that you have the image of Dracula's bat in your eyes, help Dracula search for his long lost friend. You won't forget what his bat looks like for a while! Dracula has a hole in his roof, the sun is rising and he needs your help quickly! Participate in the following activity and learn how to reflect the incoming light out of his house. Small mirror Protractor Flashlight Setup the mirror and the protractor as illustrated Use the flashlight to shine a beam as the ray in the angle of incident and note the angle of the beam on the protractor. The ray that strikes the mirror is called the incident or striking ray. The ray that is bounced back by the mirror is called the reflected ray. Does the beam that is reflected in the angle of reflection show the same degree on the protractor? The angle between the incident ray and the surface of the mirror is called the angle of incident. Whereas the angle between the reflected ray and the surface of the mirror is called the angle of reflection. If you know one of the angles you should be able to figure out the other angle. Use the the mirror and protrator along with what you've just learned to reflect the incoming sunlight out of Dracula's house before its too late! Pushing, pulling and falling has the Wolf Man confused about energy. He thinks that one type of energy is just as good as another. And why shouldn't he? Most people do and take that notion right into the Ghostly Graveyard! And this problem with Carbon Dioxide (CO2) and greenhouse gasses and global warming. That's got the furry graveyard sexton worried too. You realize that the only way different types of fuels can be compared is to examine their energy content on a standard scale. Energy Resource Energy Content (BTU) Amount per MBTU CO2 Produced (per unit of fuel) Pounds of CO2 produced per million BTU wood 8,000/lb 125 lbs. 2.59 lb. CO2/lb 323.8 coal 12,250/lb 2.48 lb. CO2/lb fuel oil 140,000/gal 26.4 lb. CO2/gal gasoline 125,000/gal 23.8 lb. CO2/gal LP gas 95,500/gal 12.1 lb. CO2/therm electricity from coal 3,413 kwH 2.37 lb. CO2/kwH electricity from oil 3,413/kwH 2.14 lb. CO2/kwH electricity from natural gas 3,413/kwH 1.32 lb. CO2/kwH After a quick trip on the Web you've summarized the main types of fuels used in the United States, identified their energy content in BTU (British Thermal Unit) and the amount of carbon dioxide produced per unit of fuel. Now you've got to do some calculations to help the Wolf Man make meaningful comparisons. A calculator will help! EXAMPLE: Wood has 8,000 BTU's (British Thermal Unit) per pound. How many pounds of wood will it take to produce 1 million BTU (British Thermal Unit) Ans. 1,000,000/ 8000 = 125 pounds. Each pound of wood produces about 2.59 pounds of carbon dioxide. So burning 125 pounds of wood produces 323.8 pounds of carbon dioxide (2.59 X 125 = 323.8 pounds). Rank-order the fuels according the amount of CO2 they produce per MBTU's. Explain the list to Wolf Man and make some recommendations on the kinds of fuels he should buy. What are some other things he should consider? Some fuels are better suited to certain tasks than others. For example it only takes 8 gallons of gasoline to produce a MBTU's but it takes 125 pounds of wood to produce the same amount of energy. Can you imagine driving a car around town with 125 pounds of wood loaded in the trunk? Use this notion of energy density to explain the following: "Natural gas is the fuel of choice for heating water, heating homes and cooking." · "Coal is an abundant fossil fuel but it's dirty." "Gasoline can never be replaced by biomass fuels like wood." "Burning natural gas to make electricity is a terrible waste (or a good use) of a precious resource." EXAMPLE: Wood has 8,000 BTU's (British Thermal Unit) per pound. How many pounds of wood will it take to produce 1 million BTu's (British Thermal Unit)? Ans. 1,000,000/ 8000 = 125 pounds. Each pound of wood produces about 2.59 pounds of carbon dioxide. So burning 125 pounds of wood produces 323.8 pounds of carbon dioxide (2.59 X 125 = 323.8 pounds). Frankenstein's lab is running out of electricity and Igor has asked you to help him find a temporary source of energy to get a single light for the good doctor. His blood-shot eyes stare into yours as he begs for your help. That's when you spot the bowl of fruit. Can fruit help Igor make electricity? citrus fruit (lemons or limes work best) 1 copper screw about 5 cm long 1 zinc screw about 5 cm long 1 holiday light with 5 cm leads You remember that a battery is nothing more that a device that stores metals and chemicals. And all that citrus contains acids so maybe, just maybe, you can help poor Igor out. 1. Roll the fruit under the palm of your hand to soften but be careful you don't break the skin. Work it gently on a piece of scrap paper or a paper towel. 2. Insert the screws into the fruit about 5 cm apart. Don't allow the screws to go through the bottom skin of the fruit. 3. Carefully remove about 1 cm of the insulation from the leads on the holiday light. Do not cut into the wire beneath the insulation. 4. Twist one end of the wire around one screw and the other end around the other screw. Presto--you have light! Investigate the probability of using other fruits and vegetables to make electricity. Measure the pH of each "battery" and see if there is a relationship between the pH of the juice and the amount of light that is produced. If you have a multimeter, you can measure the voltage and current produced. Was Igor happy with the light? Batteries are an important part of today's highly charged electrical society. They are used to start cars, power alarm systems, and run important stuff like radios and CD players. From what materials was the first "voltaic" cell constructed? What materials are used in today's batteries? What materials may be used in the batteries of the future? (If, indeed, we still need them!) Click on the characters to find out what they are doing wrong. Welcome to The Atoms Family, a Science Learning Network resource based on The Atoms Family exhibit at the Miami Science Museum. This resource contains educational activities relating to different forms of energy, and are being presented by famous gothic horror characters. In order to experience the full capabilities of this site, please make sure that you have javascript turned on in your browser. If you encounter any problems or have any questions concerning this site, please send an e-mail to the webmaster. Clicking the Atoms Family Logo anywhere within the site will bring you back to the main Atoms Family page. Clicking on a portrait of a character anywhere within the website will bring you to that character's main page in the website. Clicking on the museum logo will bring you to the Miami Science Museum's main website.