Tag Archives: reactions

India’s Identity Card System Sparks Mixed Reactions: ‘Life Infrastructure Will Be Monitored at Every Step’

Posted on by
Reply

It’s hard for many in India to envision life before Aadhaar. Digital biometric IDs, which claim to be accessible to all Indians, were rolled out just 15 years ago, yet they have become an integral part of daily life.

An Aadhaar number is now essential for purchasing a home, securing employment, opening a bank account, paying taxes, receiving benefits, buying a vehicle, obtaining a SIM card, booking priority train tickets, and enrolling children. Infants receive their Aadhaar number immediately after birth. Although it is not obligatory, lacking an Aadhaar effectively renders one invisible to the state, according to digital rights advocates.

For Umesh Patel, 47, a textile businessman in Ahmedabad, Aadhaar has been a welcome change. He reminisces about the days of hauling stacks of paperwork to government offices just to verify his identity, often with little success. Now, with a quick glimpse of his Aadhaar, “everything flows smoothly,” he said, viewing it as “a testament to how our nation utilizes technology for its citizens’ benefit.”

“It’s a solid system that has simplified our operations,” Patel asserts. “Moreover, it enhances our country’s security by minimizing the risk of forged documents.”

“Aadhaar has become an integral part of Indian identity.”

The initiative has been deemed so effective that it caught the attention of the UK government, which considered the introduction of mandatory ID cards for its citizens. However, digital rights groups, activists, and humanitarian organizations highlight a less favorable perspective of Aadhaar and its effects on Indian society.

For some of India’s most underprivileged and least educated individuals (those unable to engage with the Aadhaar system due to issues like illiteracy, lack of education, or missing documentation), the system can be exclusionary and punitive, denying essential access to welfare and employment. With increasing moves to link Aadhaar to voting rights and citizenship, concerns arise that it may further disenfranchise and stigmatize the impoverished.

Apal Gupta, founder and director of the Internet Freedom Foundation in Delhi, stated that Aadhaar has become a digital obligation for many people in India, as Aadhaar-based verification is required to access government services, enter public venues, or carry on with their daily activities.

Mr. Gupta asserted that Aadhaar has “metastasized” since its inception, morphing into an extensive bureaucratic network of unique IDs required for business operations. “The essence of your existence is scrutinized at every juncture,” he remarked.

Critics contend that the current draft of India’s data protection and privacy law is inadequate for safeguarding privacy or preventing potential misuse of the invaluable Aadhaar database, which includes biometric data such as photos, facial and iris scans, and fingerprints of over a billion Indians.

Indian media has uncovered multiple instances of Aadhaar data breaches over the years, including a 2018 incident where data pertaining to 1.1 billion individuals was found to be sold online for a mere 500 rupees (£5).

Keir Starmer met Narendra Modi in Mumbai last week. During his visit, Mr. Starmer described the Aadhaar system as a “huge success”. Photo: Stéphane Rousseau/AFP/Getty Images

“According to this yet-to-be-notified law, there is no mechanism to ascertain if a data breach has been documented, and there is a lack of oversight on how Aadhaar data is consolidated with other databases, risking broader public surveillance and tracking,” Mr. Gupta noted. “Transparency is entirely absent.”

Although Aadhaar was initiated before Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed office in 2014, his governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has significantly promoted and expanded the digital ID initiative. As India prepares to host the G20 summit in 2023, Prime Minister Modi referenced Aadhaar as one of the flagship achievements of ‘Digital India’, which he describes as an incubator for innovation. He asserts that India has saved over $22 billion by combating corruption in the welfare system.

The government highlights the extensive uptake of Aadhaar as an indicator of its success and inclusivity. As of last month, more than 1.42 billion Aadhaar numbers had been generated, corresponding to roughly the entire population of India, making it the largest digital identity program globally. Before this initiative, over 400 million Indians lacked any official identification and were unable to access banking services.

Yet the reality, particularly in rural and tribal regions, diverges sharply from the image portrayed by the government, as noted by Chakradhar Buddha, a senior researcher at Livetech India, an organization aimed at assisting those marginalized by India’s transition to digitalization.

Skip past newsletter promotions

“The deprivation of Aadhaar is pervasive among tribal communities, people in mountainous regions, and those in remote areas, and this reality is largely overlooked,” Buddha stated.

“This situation arises partly from a lack of proper documentation or incomplete documentation capture. Moreover, technological advancements create further obstacles that disproportionately affect the most vulnerable populations. Ultimately, this system undermines access to crucial social security and welfare for those most in need.”

Mr. Buddha challenged the government’s assertion that Aadhaar represents an infallible form of identification, recounting numerous instances where incorrect names and details led to significant issues for communities. For instance, in one village, tribal individuals lacked birth certificates and were assigned January 1 as their birthdate, while tribal names are often misspelled on Aadhaar cards due to unfamiliarity among officials.

Highlighting the recent example of millions of impoverished workers being erroneously removed from government support systems after the implementation of Aadhaar certification, Buddha cautioned that using Aadhaar as the universal standard for voting rights could result in “mass purges of the poorest from electoral registers.”

“These individuals have already been stripped of social equality. Now, Aadhaar is being utilized to deny them their right to political equality and universal suffrage,” Buddha stated.

Among those recently at risk of lacking an Aadhaar card was Ahram Sheikh, 34, an uneducated worker, who had important identification documents, including his Aadhaar card, stolen while on a train.

The aftermath was a nightmarish experience. He couldn’t recall his Aadhaar number from a decade earlier, rendering him unable to obtain a replacement card. Without it, he had to discontinue his construction job, losing crucial income for his family, and as a result, his son ultimately dropped out of school.

Months later, after traveling thousands of miles back to his village, Sheikh remained unable to resolve the issue and secure a new card. He now lives in constant fear of being declared an illegal alien without it.

“This Aadhaar system has turned into a nightmare for us. Why can’t the government establish proper institutions?” Sheikh lamented. “Everything in this country works against the poor, and this Aadhaar card is no exception.”

Aakash Hassan contributed reporting

Source: www.theguardian.com

Hidden Food Allergens Often Trigger Serious Reactions

Posted on by
Reply

Buckwheat seems to be a significant contributor to severe food allergies

Shutterstock/Buntovskikh Olga

It appears that roughly one in seven instances of life-threatening allergic reactions is triggered by foods that lack allergen labeling, prompting researchers to call for policy changes in this area.

Food allergies are rising in prevalence; however, many regulatory allergen lists have not been updated in many years. For instance, the European Union’s Essential labeling of food lists mandates the disclosure of 14 different food allergens, like peanuts and soy, but relies on data that dates back to 2011.

To explore less recognized allergens, Dominique Sabouraud-Leclerc from Centre Hosvia University in France conducted an analysis along with her colleagues, examining 2,999 reports of food-induced anaphylaxis that were voluntarily submitted by medical professionals within an allergenic environment network from 2002 to 2023.

The research aimed to identify emerging food allergens, defined as substances not listed in the European Essential Labeling List but responsible for at least 1% of reported cases.

The researchers found that goat milk, sheep milk, and buckwheat accounted for 2.8% and 2.4% of cases, respectively. Following these, peas, lentils, and alphagal (sugars that can induce allergies to lean meat and other mammalian products) each contributed to 1-2% of reported incidences. Apple products and beeswax items, such as edible pollen, honey, and royal jelly, were also responsible for 1% of cases.

In total, new food allergies constituted 413 cases, approximately 14% of the overall reports.

In terms of reaction severity, goat and sheep cheese elicited particularly dangerous responses, especially among young boys, leading to two fatalities. Recurrent reactions and unexpected exposures, often found in sauces and thickeners primarily made from goat and sheep dairy, were most prevalent, followed by peas, lentils, buckwheat, and pine nuts.

In light of these findings, the team recommended incorporating these four food types into the essential European warning labels. These ingredients should be clearly highlighted on packaging, such as through bold text.

“Our primary aim is to safeguard allergic consumers and ensure they have access to clear information,” said Sabouraud-Leclerc. “This encompasses quality patient care, including proper diagnosis, education, emergency preparation, and understanding food labels.”

The data collected were primarily from France, Belgium, and Luxembourg, but the findings are likely relevant to other nations, with some variations in prevalence based on local culinary practices, according to Sabouraud-Leclerc. “Updating the EU list could inspire similar actions in other countries, creating a snowball effect,” she added.

topic:

Source: www.newscientist.com

Asthma Medications Can Safeguard Against Life-Threatening Allergic Reactions

Posted on by
Reply

Stephanie Eisenbarth and Adam Williams prepare peanuts for allergy research in their lab

Northwestern University

Research indicates that common asthma treatments may offer protection against anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction. The drug Zileuton, traditionally used for asthma, is now being considered for individuals facing serious food allergies.

Despite the prevalence of food allergies, it can be challenging to foresee the risk of anaphylaxis for an individual. Scientists are investigating why some individuals with positive food allergen tests do not show symptoms, while others have severe, potentially deadly reactions.

“Our aim is to discover methods to help individuals with symptomatic food allergies manage their reactions to allergens,” states Stephanie Eisenbarth from Northwestern University, Illinois.

Eisenbarth and her research team anticipated that mice exposed to peanuts would experience anaphylaxis. They administered a single oral dose of Zileuton to a group of 5-10 mice sensitized to peanut allergens approximately one hour prior to feeding them peanut extract. The control group did not receive any medication. Observations revealed that almost all Zileuton-treated mice showed no symptoms of anaphylaxis, whereas the control group exhibited clear signs of it.

Most dietary proteins are usually broken down, but some can be actively absorbed through the intestines and enter the bloodstream directly. In individuals with severe allergies, these proteins can trigger immune responses, leading to anaphylaxis.

During allergic reactions, the body releases chemicals known as leukotrienes. The researchers found that leukotrienes play a role in the number of intact proteins that penetrate the intestine. They also identified a gene called DPEP1 that is crucial in regulating leukotriene levels.

One significant action of Zileuton is inhibiting the enzyme five lipoxygenase, essential for leukotriene production. Administering this drug to mice lowered leukotriene levels, while DPEP1 also suppressed remaining leukotrienes, preventing allergen absorption and halting anaphylaxis in susceptible mice. A single dose of Zileuton cut the anaphylaxis rate by 95%.

“We can differentiate between mice that respond to food allergens and those that do not. We are now evaluating whether the same asthma medications can limit allergen absorption in the intestines of people with food allergies.”

Jorge Emiliano Gomez Medellin from the University of Chicago suggests that these straightforward tablets might significantly alleviate the consequences of accidental allergen exposure. He added that while Zileuton could potentially inhibit the absorption of food allergens, it won’t alter an individual’s underlying sensitivity over time.

“Nonetheless, Zileuton could be a valuable tool in combating food allergies,” he concludes.

Source: www.newscientist.com

The Origins of Life: Key Chemical Reactions May Have Begun in Hot, Cracked Rocks

Posted on by
Reply

Some amino acids can become concentrated when traveling through cracks in hot rocks.

Sebastian Kauritzky / Alamy

Chemical reactions key to the origin of life on Earth may have occurred as molecules moved along a temperature gradient within a network of cracks in thin rocks deep underground.

Such networks are thought to have been common on early Earth and may have provided a kind of natural laboratory in which many of the building blocks of life were concentrated and separated from other organic molecules.

“It’s very difficult to get a more general environment where you can do these cleansing and intermediate steps,” he says. Christophe Mast at Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich, Germany.

He and his colleagues created a heat flow chamber the size of a playing card to model how mixtures of organic molecules behave in cracks in such rocks.

The researchers heated one side of the 170-micrometer-thick chamber to 25°C (77°F) and the other side to 40°C (104°F), allowing molecules to move in a process called thermophoresis. This created a temperature gradient that How sensitive a molecule is to this process depends on its size and charge and how it interacts with the fluid in which it is dissolved.

During an 18-hour experiment in a heat flow chamber, we found that different molecules were concentrated in different parts of the chamber depending on their sensitivity to thermophoresis. Among these molecules are many amino acids and A, T, G, and C nucleobases, which are important building blocks of DNA. This effect was further magnified by creating a network of three interconnected chambers, with one side of the chamber network at 25°C and the other side at 40°C. Additional chambers further concentrated the compounds concentrated in the first chamber.

Mathematical simulations with 20 interconnected chambers (which may closely resemble the complexity of natural crack systems) find that the enrichment of different molecules can be further amplified Did. In one chamber, the amino acid glycine reached a concentration approximately 3000 times higher than that of another amino acid, isoleucine, even though they entered the network at the same concentration.

The researchers also demonstrated that this enrichment process can cause reactions that would otherwise be extremely difficult. They showed that glycine molecules can bind to each other when the concentration of a molecule that catalyzes the reaction called trimetaphosphoric acid (TMP) increases. Mast said TMP is an interesting molecule to concentrate because it was rare on early Earth. “Since [the chambers] Since they are all randomly connected, all kinds of reaction conditions can be implemented. ”

“It’s very interesting that within the crack there are regions with different proportions of compounds,” he says. evan sprite from Radboud University in the Netherlands was not involved in the study. “This enhancement allows us to create even more versatility from very simple building blocks.”

But enrichment in rock fractures is still far from a viable scenario for the origin of life, he says. “Ultimately, they still need to come together to form something resembling a cell or protocell.”

topic:

Source: www.newscientist.com

Nuclear fusion reactions produce nearly double the energy they consume

Posted on by
Reply

Nuclear fusion experiments at the US National Ignition Facility reach a significant milestone

philip saltonstall

Scientists confirmed that a 2022 fusion reaction reached a historic milestone by releasing more energy than it put in, and subsequent tests yielded even better results. Says. The findings, now published in a series of papers, offer encouragement that fusion reactors will one day produce clean, abundant energy.

Today's nuclear power plants rely on nuclear fission reactions, in which atoms are shattered to release energy and small particles. Fusion works in reverse, pushing smaller particles together into larger atoms. The same process powers our sun.

Nuclear fusion can produce more energy without any of the radioactive waste that comes with nuclear fission, but science has yet to find a way to contain and control the process, let alone extract energy from it. Researchers and engineers couldn't find it for decades.

Experiments to do this using laser-irradiated capsules of deuterium and tritium fuel – a process called inertial confinement fusion (ICF) – began in 2011 at California's Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) . Initially, the energy released was only a fraction of the energy. The laser energy input was gradually increased and the experiment finally crossed the important break-even milestone on December 5, 2022. That reaction generated his 1.5 times the laser energy needed to kickstart.

One paper claims that the institute's National Ignition Facility (NIF) has seen even higher ratios in subsequent commissioning, peaking at 1.9 times its energy input on September 4, 2023. .

Richard Towne LLNL said it believes the team's checks and double-checks since the 2022 results have proven it was “not a flash in the pan” and there is still room for improvement.

Town said yields are likely to improve with the hardware currently in place at NIF, but things could move further if the lasers can be upgraded, which would take years. “A sledgehammer always comes in handy,” he says. “If I could get a bigger hammer, I think I could aim for a gain of about 10.”

But Town points out that NIF was never built as a prototype reactor and is not optimized for high yields. His main job is to provide critical research to the US nuclear weapons program.

Part of this research involves exposing the bomb's electronics and payload to the neutron irradiation that occurs during the ICF reaction to see if they would function in the event of an all-out nuclear war. The risk of electronic equipment failure was highlighted during a 2021 test when NIF opened fire, knocking out all lights throughout the site, plunging researchers into darkness. “These lights were not hardened, but you can imagine military components having to withstand much higher doses,” Town says.

This mission means that some of the project's research remains classified. Until the 1990s, even the concept of ICF was secret, Town says.

The announcement that ICF would reach break-even in 2022 raised hopes that fusion power is on the horizon, and this will be further strengthened by news that further progress has been made. However, there are some caveats.

First, the energy output is far below what is needed for a commercial reactor, producing barely enough to heat a bath. What's worse is that this ratio is calculated using the power of the laser, so for him to produce 2.1 megajoules of energy, the laser consumes her 500 trillion watts. That's more power than the output of the entire U.S. national power grid. Therefore, these experiments apply even in a very narrow sense.

martin freer The researchers, from the University of Birmingham in the UK, say these results certainly do not indicate that a practical fusion reactor can now be built. “Science still has work to do,” he says. “We don't know the answers to all of these, and we don't need researchers anymore.”

Freer says that as scientific experiments advance, they pose engineering challenges to create better materials and processes, which in turn enables better experiments and further progress. “Nuclear fusion could happen,” he says. “But the challenges we face are quite steep from a scientific perspective.”

Aneeka Khan The professor at the University of Manchester, UK, agrees that recent advances in fusion research are positive, but stresses that it will be decades before commercial power plants are operational, and that only global cooperation and He stressed that it depends on a concerted effort to train more people. field. She cautions against interpreting advances in fusion research as a possible solution to dealing with dependence on energy from fossil fuels.

“Fusion is already too slow to address the climate crisis. We are already facing the devastation of climate change on a global scale,” says Khan. “In the short term, we need to leverage existing low carbon technologies such as nuclear fission and renewables, and in the long term, invest in fusion to become part of a diverse low carbon energy mix. must commit to tackling the climate crisis.”

topic:

  • nuclear energy/
  • nuclear fusion power generation

Source: www.newscientist.com