Microsoft has taken the wraps off a new version of Windows and a new wearable 3D gadget it calls the HoloLens.

Microsoft is making a big bet that Windows 10 will help it regain ground the company has lost to the mobile computing boom

Microsoft has taken the wraps off a new version of Windows and a new wearable 3D gadget it calls the HoloLens.

The company showed the new headset, which lets users view and interact with three-dimensional images, at an event where it also revealed new features coming to the company’s flagship operating software.

Executives said Windows 10 is designed to embrace the way people use computers today, offering a familiar experience as they switch back and forth from personal computers to tablets, smartphones and other gadgets such as gaming consoles or even holographic projectors.

While it’s designed to let apps work in similar fashion on all those devices, Windows 10 will also come with a new Web browser that will be closely integrated with Cortana, the company’s voice-activated answer to Siri.

Microsoft is expanding Cortana to serve as a search engine and personal assistant, capable of answering questions and responding to commands such as “Play music” on desktop and laptop computers, as well as mobile devices.

And in a break from past practice, Microsoft announced that Windows 10 will be released later this year as a free upgrade for anyone owning a computer or gadget that’s currently running Windows 8.1 or 7, the two previous versions of the software.

Microsoft is making a big bet that Windows 10 will help it regain ground the company has lost to the mobile computing boom.

Windows has long been the dominating operating software for desktop and laptop computers, but that business has suffered as more people have begun using smartphones and tablets.

Microsoft tried to reach those users by emphasizing touch-screen features in its last update, Windows 8, but many traditional PC users found it jarring and difficult to navigate.

Hoping to win back a larger audience, Microsoft is promising Windows 10 will provide a familiar experience to users on across devices, and a common platform for software developers to create apps that work on all of them.

“Windows 10 is built for a world in which there are going to be more devices on the planet than people,” CEO Satya Nadella told reporters and industry analysts at Microsoft’s headquarters.

He said Microsoft wants to “enable that seamless cross-over, across devices as you move around at home and at work.”

IISc: Repurposing existing drugs to fight TB

Small changes to the molecules can turn them into effective TB drugs

A proof-of-concept study has successfully identified two small molecules (imipramine and norclomipramine) that can arrest the growth of TB bacteria and hence have the potential to be used as anti-TB drugs once the chemical properties are altered to make it more effective. 

Interestingly, one of the small molecules (imipramine) is already in clinical use as an antidepressant while other is a metabolite of antidepressant clomipramine.  But, they have never been used as antibacterials.

The two small molecules work by targeting the Topoisomerase I enzyme of the TB bacteria. This enzyme is essential for controlling the coiling (winding) and uncoiling (unwinding) of the bacterial DNA. The results of the study were published recently in the journal Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.

“We have for the first time found the inhibitors that prevent the enzyme from functioning. The inhibition of the enzyme arrests the growth/division of the bacteria and eventually causes death,” Prof. V. Nagaraja of the Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru and the senior author of the paper told this Correspondent. He led the team that identified the inhibitors.

Though the two molecules inhibited cell growth by preventing DNA coiling, the potency was not high enough. “The inhibition is not as effective as drugs that are already being used as anti-TB drugs,” he said.

He has been working on this enzyme for a long time. This class of enzyme is found in all bacteria and even in higher organisms like mammals and humans. But human Topoisomerase I enzyme has properties and functions that are very different from that of bacteria. And inhibitors for human Topoisomerase I enzyme have already been identified and successfully exploited, as in the case of cancer drugs. “But there has been no such progress in the case of bacteria, as inhibitors of bacterial Topoisomerase I enzyme were not identified so far,” Prof. Nagaraja said.

Even in the case of bacterial Topoisomerase II enzyme, inhibitors have long been identified and clinically-validated drugs such as ciprofloxacin and other members of the fluoroquinolones are widely in use today. Since the small molecules studied are being routinely used as antidepressants, it may not be possible to use them as anti-TB drugs in the current form.

However, small changes in the chemical entity of the molecules can change the properties and activities dramatically. “This has to be done in this case,” he said. “The current study only highlights the potential of repurposing or redesigning existing drugs that are not antibacterials as anit-TB drugs.”

As no X-ray crystal structure and, hence, atomic details of the enzyme is available, a 3D structure of the enzyme was modeled by the co-author Dr. Sean Ekins of Collaborative Drug Discovery, a company based in California.

The molecules that can be likely candidates were first identified through virtual screening of many compound libraries. Further studies were then carried out in the laboratory of Prof. Nagaraja to find their inhibiting properties.

The identification of the two small molecules was part of the TB consortium project  “More Medicine for TB’s” (MM4TB) with the larger goal of screening small molecules as potential anti-TB drugs. The MM4TB is an international consortium that has been assembled by the EU to discover new treatment methods to combat TB.

Why stars feast and fast partly resolved

Supergiant fast x-ray transients (SGXT) are in the news. SGXT is the name for a certain type of binary star — a pair of stars revolving around each other.

To be specific, they are a pair in which one partner is a big bright star and the other is a highly condensed dark companion — a black hole or a neutron star — which attracts mass from the bright star.

As the material spirals into the dark star, it emits x-rays. Hence, it appears to the onlooker that they are shining brightly in x-rays.

Suddenly, without warning, the pair dims to a fraction of its brightness within minutes. This behaviour of shining and dimming, called “fasting” and “feasting” has puzzled astronomers for a decade now.

This puzzle has now been partly resolved by means of a breakthrough, thanks to the work of an international team led by Varun Bhalerao of the Inter University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pune. The results were published recently in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

There were several competing theories as to why the fasting and feasting behaviour happens. One is that the large star gives out a clumpy wind, and when this wind hits the dense star, it would glow.

The other theory is that the dense star has a high magnetic field and this served as a barrier that would dam the wind until the pressure built up and broke the “dam” and the matter carried by the wind would suddenly fall into the compact star, causing a glow.

Varun Bhalerao’s team observed the magnetic field of the dark companion and actually measured it, finding it to be too weak for the damming mechanism to work. “We knew that the key to the puzzle was to measure the neutron star's magnetic field,” he says.

Dr. Bhalerao’s team observed the binary using a space x-ray telescope known as NuStar, a NASA space mission. It is the first x-ray space telescope that can focus on very high energy x-rays.

“NuSTAR is used to study the most extreme environments in the universe, which emit x-rays.

“The x-rays that NuSTAR is sensitive to are similar to the x-rays used in hospitals for diagnoses. Astronomers call them ‘Hard x-rays’. During my Ph.D at Caltech [California Institute of Technology], I was part of the team that built NuSTAR's detectors,” he says.

The actual star-pair they observed, IGR J17544-2619, is an example of such an SGXT. It is a binary located about 12,000 light years away from the earth. It contains a supergiant star, about 25 times as massive as our Sun, and a compressed dead partner, about twice as massive as the Sun but compressed to a diameter of just about 30 km. the stars orbit around each other in 4.9 days.

The binary shines in x-rays and over a period of months can sporadically become bright or faint. The brightest known state was about one lakh times brighter than the dim state.

The discovery of the mechanism of fasting and feasting process is the breakthrough that many were looking forward to and has given important inputs for further theoretical understanding of these binaries. Says Dr Bhalerao: “This allows us to better understand how massive stars form, to study how binaries evolve and to calculate details of supernova explosions, where a neutron star is born in the death of a massive star.”

Uttarakhand becomes No. 2 in tiger population

Uttarakhand with 340 tigers is second only to Karnataka, which has 406.

Tiger population in Uttarakhand has risen from 227 to 340 since the last census, becoming the second State in the country after Karnataka with the highest number of tigers.

“There has been an encouraging rise in tiger population in Uttarakhand. It has risen from 227 to 340 since the last census. This is all the more creditable given the fact that the hill State has just one tiger reserve,” Corbett Tiger Reserve Director Samir Sinha told PTI.

There was a time when Madhya Pradesh had the highest tiger population in the country but then it had six tiger reserves, he said.

Uttarakhand is now second only to Karnataka in terms of tiger population. Karnataka figures at the top of the list with 406 tigers, he said.

As per the latest census, Corbett Tiger Reserve has also improved its position on conservation assessment trajectory going up from good to very good, the official said.

According to the latest census released on Tuesday, the tiger population in the country is estimated to be around 2,226, a rise of over 30 per cent since the last count in 2010.

Periyar tiger reserve wins NTCA award

For involving local people in managing the habitat

The Periyar Tiger Reserve, spread over 925 sq.km. in Kerala, bagged the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) biennial award on Tuesday for encouraging local public participation in managing the reserve.

There are 75 communities living around the reserve, including tribal people who are dependent on eco-development programmes, said field director of the reserve Amit Mallick on Tuesday. The reserve set up the Periyar Foundation in 2006 which was a model for other reserves in biodiversity conservation and community participation in managing natural resources.

After this, the Wildlife Protection Act was amended so that each reserve would set up a Foundation, he told The Hindu. Earlier, the India Eco-Development project (IEDP), which was started in the reserve in December 1996, continued up to June 2004. The community-based eco-tourism activities helped visitors and there were night scouting programmes with the help of expert trackers as well. Tourism was supplemented by pepper growing and marketing which was a value addition.

Now self-help groups were involved in honey processing and other income-generating activities, Dr. Mallick said. Of the 75 eco development committees, 15 were tribal and each had about 150 to 200 members. There were 19 different eco-tourism programmes apart from village eco-development programmes like bee-keeping.

The committees also played a major role during the Sabarimala pilgrimage which involved a 23-km trek in the dense forests. Small shops were set up along the way and people helped in regulating the pilgrims and in waste management, removing 40 to 50 tonnes each season.

Heritage City Development Scheme (HRIDAY) launched : Centre to fund entire expenditure

Shri M.Venkaiah Naidu sanctions Rs.500 cr for 12 cities under the scheme Varanasi gets Rs.89 cr, Amritsar-Rs.69 cr, Ajmer-Rs.40 cr and Dwaraka-22.26 cr Shri Naidu says no nation can progress ignoring its culture and heritage

The National Heritage Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY) that seeks to preserve and rejuvenate the rich cultural heritage of the country was launched by the Minister of Urban Development Shri M.Venkaiah Naidu, here today. Minister of Tourism and Culture Dr.Mahesh Sharma and Members of Lok Sabha representing different cities selected under HRIDAY also attended the launch. Speaking on the occasion, Shri M.Venkaiah Naidu said ‘No nation can move forward ignoring its cultural heritage and legacy. India is a diverse land of languages and religions and we need to preserve the legacy of all kinds. HRIDAY is a step towards reviving the soul of cities hosting such rich heritage’. Elaborating on the new initiative, Shri Naidu said, ‘HRIDAY seeks to promote an integrated, inclusive and sustainable development of heritage sites, focusing not just on maintenance of monuments but on advancement of the entire ecosystem including its citizens, tourists and local businesses.’ He said, with 32 UNESCO recognized natural and cultural heritage sites, ranking second in Asia and fifth in the world, the tourism potential of the country is still to be fully harnessed and the new scheme will help in this regard. Informing that Rs.500 cr would be provided to the 12 cities selected in the first phase under the ‘Central Schme’ of HRIDY, Shri Naidu said, central government will meet the entire expenditure under the scheme. He however, urged the states and local urban bodies to supplement their resources for rapid development of heritage cities. He also called for involvement of NGOs, spiritual organisations and private sector for effective implementation of the scheme. He stressed that urban development efforts should aim at blending ‘nature and culture for a better future’. Shri Venkaiah Naidu distributed sanction letters to the 12 cities for spending over the next two years. Based on city population, Varanasi was allocated Rs.89.31 cr, Amritsar-Rs.69.31 cr, Warangal(Telangana)-Rs.40.54 cr, Ajmer-Rs.40.04 cr, Gaya-Rs.40.04 cr, Mathura-Rs.40.04 cr, Kanchipuram-Rs.23.04 cr and Vellankini-Rs.22.26 cr, both in Tamil Nadu, Amaravati(AP)-Rs.22.26 cr, Badami (Karnataka)-Rs.22.26 cr, Dwaraka(Gujarat)-Rs.22.26 cr and Puri-Rs.22.54 cr. Minister of Tourism and Culture Dr.Mahesh Sharma welcoming the HRIDAY scheme said that in conjunction with the schemes of his ministry, it will help in promoting tourism in the country. He stressed that development can’t be at the cost of heritage of the country. Shri Pinaki Mishra, MP from Puri said that after 68 years of Independence such a novel initiative has been launched which would go a long way in developing heritage cities. He noted that under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the country is learning to think big. Municipal Commissioners of all the 12 selected cities made brief presentations on the tangible and intangible cultural assets of respective cities and the plans for their development under HRIDAY. An exhibition was also organized highlighting various aspects of these cities.

India ranks 78th globally in Global Talent Competitiveness Index (GTCI) 2014

India ranked 78th globally in Global Talent Competitiveness Index (GTCI) 2014 list of 93 countries in terms of talent competitiveness of its human capital.

This GTCI list was compiled by INSEAD business school in partnership with Adecco and Human Capital Leadership Institute of Singapore (HCLI).

GTCI measures a nation’s competitiveness based on the quality of talent it can produce, attract and retain.

Key facts of Global Talent Competitiveness Index (GTCI) 2014 list

• Top twenty scoring countries in the GTCI 2014 are all high-income countries. While, the top rankings were dominated by European countries, with only six non-European countries in the top 20 which included Singapore (2nd), the United States (4th), Canada (5th), Australia (9th), New-Zealand (16th) and Japan (20th).
• Rich countries were able to top in the list, since they tend to have better universities and a greater ability to attract foreign talents through higher quality of life and remuneration, making them more talent competitive.
• Top 10 in GTCI list: Switzerland (1st), Singapore (2nd), Luxembourg (3rd), United States (4th) and Canada (5th), Sweden (6th), United Kingdom (7th), Denmark (8th), Australia (9th) and Ireland (10th).
• India’s lower position indicates acute shortage of skilled workforce. It also ranks at last among BRICS members.
• India’s neighbuors in GTCI list:  China (41th), Sri Lanka (76th), Pakistan (89th), Bangladesh (90th).