International Organizations, Defence, Books & Authors, World History

Notes:
Root pressure is measured by an instrument called an auxanometer. The auxanometer measures plant growth as well as the pressure developed within the xylem cells of roots.

Notes:
Selman Waksman was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1952 “for his discovery of streptomycin, the first antibiotic effective against tuberculosis.” He was called “one of the greatest benefactors to mankind,” as the result of the discovery of streptomycin. Waksman was a Russian-born, Jewish-American inventor, biochemist and microbiologist.

Notes:
Myrmecology is a branch of entomology focusing on the scientific study of ants. The word myrmecology was coined by William Morton Wheeler (1865–1937). The earliest scientific thinking based on observation of ant life was that of Auguste Forel (1848–1931)

Notes:
Lux meters, also known as light meters, measure the intensity of light as perceived by the human eye with the help of photo detectors. The lux is the SI unit of illuminance and luminous emittance, measuring luminous flux per unit area. In photometry, it is used as a measure of the intensity, as perceived by the human eye, of light that hits or passes through a surface.

Notes:
There are different methods of counting microbial growth. These are based on different parameters of cells such as dry-weight and wet-weight measurement, absorbance, cell plate, density, turbidity, ATP measurement, viable count, ATPase activity and use of Coulter counter. Absorbance is measured by using a spectrophotometer. Cell growth of any bacterial suspension at a particular wavelength at different intervals is measured in terms of absorbance.

Notes:
The Indian Army’s School of Artillery is located at Deolali in Nasik district of Maharashtra. It is a premier institution of the Army and imparts effective training, evaluation of new equipment for induction and development of new concepts/ doctrine for application of artillery fire.

Notes:
Chris Miller, author of “Chip War: The Fight for the World’s Most Critical Technology” which explains the US-China semiconductor rivalry, has been invited to address Tamil Nadu’s Global Investors Meet. His presence will energize youth and foster policy discussions in this sector which the state aims to grow.

Notes:
‘Sacred Games’ is a thriller novel written by Vikram Chandra published in 2006. It intertwines Mumbai’s organized crime syndicates, espionage networks, and Mumbai police in a hunt for the criminal mastermind Ganesh Gaitonde.

Notes:
‘The Emperor of All Maladies’ is a 2010 nonfiction book by Indian-American oncologist Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee. It is a biography of cancer, interweaving science history with personal patient stories, and it won the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction.

Notes:
‘The Interpreter of Maladies’ is a 1999 collection of short stories by American author of Indian origin Jhumpa Lahiri, who won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for this work. The stories address issues of the struggles of Indian immigrants in America to acclimate.